Stefan Al is the author of The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream, among other works of architectural history, and he holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in New York.
In Supertall, Stefan Al turns the jumbled skylines of our biggest cities into a powerful story of human possibility. Looking to both past and future, this astonishing synthesis reveals how skyscrapers have made us who we are and can help us become who we want to be. -- Andrew Blum, best-selling author of Tubes and The Weather Machine Lighter concrete, faster elevators, and even faster-growing cities are part of the formula architect Stefan Al lays out in this foundational book. Rather than describing the latest supertall skyscrapers, he shows us what makes them possible and why cities and companies think they are necessary. Mixing personal experience, history lessons, and explanations of technology that are clear and simple, Al's book shows how and why a new generation of skyscrapers is now under construction around the world. -- Aaron Betsky, author of Architecture Matters