Twenty-first-century urban dwellers may take skyscrapers for granted, but make no mistake: Those towering edifices truly are architectural marvels! Packed with photographs, diagrams, and structural trivia, How to Build a Skyscraper "describes how and why 46 skyscrapers—presented in order from west to east, following the shift of tall buildings over the last 100-plus years—look the way they do." From San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid, designed in an unusual pointed shape to allow more sunlight to reach the streets; and New York's Chrysler Building, with the now iconic crown that was originally criticized as "meaningless voluptuousness"; to Abu Dhabi's Al Bahr Towers, with façades that open and close in response to the position of the sun; and Australia's Q1 Tower, named for an Olympic sculling team and designed to mimic the Olympic torch— these lofty wonders will take your breath away!