Can we discern the most important social values of an epoch analyzing their tallest buildings?
Throughout history the world's tallest buildings have acted as barometers, symbolising the principles society holds dearest. In early history buildings glorified religion, then government, which were in turn replaced with monuments to banking. Today, the first building to surpass the one kilometre mark, will be a democratic mix of retail, restaurants, offices, hotel and residential
Here we take a look at Joseph Campbell’s claim in The Power of Myth (1988) that buildings contain many clues to a society’s conscience: “You can tell what's informing a society by what the tallest building is. When you approach a medieval town, the cathedral is the tallest thing in the place. When you approach an eighteenth-century town, it is the political palace that's the tallest thing in the place. And when you approach a modern city, the tallest places are the office buildings, the centers of economic life”
Some buildings are associated with certain viewpoints and become hard to recognize when taken out of context. One of the foundation principles for an infographic is to provide clarity to the complex. Therefore, it was decided to forgo a fully frontal plane for some buildings. These were drawn with a slight perspective to ensure every building is instantly recognizable
This infographic does not aim to be a perfect altimeter but rather adjusts the actual measurements so the reader may easily assimilate information and compare buildings by referring across ages and continents as well as heights
Source: Social barometers
Throughout history the world's tallest buildings have acted as barometers, symbolising the principles society holds dearest. In early history buildings glorified religion, then government, which were in turn replaced with monuments to banking. Today, the first building to surpass the one kilometre mark, will be a democratic mix of retail, restaurants, offices, hotel and residential
Here we take a look at Joseph Campbell’s claim in The Power of Myth (1988) that buildings contain many clues to a society’s conscience: “You can tell what's informing a society by what the tallest building is. When you approach a medieval town, the cathedral is the tallest thing in the place. When you approach an eighteenth-century town, it is the political palace that's the tallest thing in the place. And when you approach a modern city, the tallest places are the office buildings, the centers of economic life”
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| Kingdom Tower, Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Abraj Al Beit Tower, One World Trade Center, Taipei 101, Federation Towers, Shanghai WFC, Princess Tower |
Some buildings are associated with certain viewpoints and become hard to recognize when taken out of context. One of the foundation principles for an infographic is to provide clarity to the complex. Therefore, it was decided to forgo a fully frontal plane for some buildings. These were drawn with a slight perspective to ensure every building is instantly recognizable
This infographic does not aim to be a perfect altimeter but rather adjusts the actual measurements so the reader may easily assimilate information and compare buildings by referring across ages and continents as well as heights
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