The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper.
Penguin Books, 11/2013. Item #25463 From the Publisher; From the author of The Works: Anatomy of a City comes a gorgeous The skyscraper is perhaps the most recognizable icon of the modern urban Exploring the interconnected systems that make life livable in the sky is the What happens when the power goes out in a building so tall? Why are all Along the way, The Heights introduces the reader to every type of More than a technical survey, Ascher's work is a triumphant ode to the most 208 pages, paperback. Penguin Press, (November 2013)
ISBN: 9780143124085
graphic tour through the inner workings of skyscrapers.
landscape. Providing offices, homes, restaurants, and shopping to thousands of
inhabitants, modern skyscrapers function as small cities- with infrastructure
not unlike that hidden beneath our streets. Clean water is provided to floors
thousands of feet in the sky; elevators move people swiftly and safely
throughout the building; and telecom networks allow virtual meetings with people
on other continents. How are these services-considered essential, but largely
taken for granted- possible in such a complex structure? What does it really
take to sustain human life at such enormous heights?
task of Kate Ascher's stunningly illustrated The Heights: Anatomy of a
Skyscraper. Ascher examines skyscrapers from around the world to learn how
these incredible structures operate. Just how do skyscrapers sway in the wind,
and why exactly is that a good idea? How can a modern elevator be as fast as an
airplane? Why are skyscrapers in Asia safer than those in the United States?
Have new safeguards been designed to protect skyscrapers from terrorism?
modern skyscrapers seemingly made of glass, and how can that be safe? How do
skyscrapers age, and how can they be maintained over decades of habitation? No
detail is too small, no difficulty too big to escape Ascher's encyclopedic eye.
person involved in designing, building, and maintaining a skyscraper: the
designers who calculate how weight and weather will affect their structures, the
workers who dig the foundations and raise the lightning rods, the crews who
clean the windows and maintain the air ducts, and the firefighters-whose special
equipment allows blazes to be fought at unprecedented heights.
monumental aspect of modern civilization. Saturated with vivid illustrations and
unforgettable anecdotes, The Heights is the ultimate guide to the way
things work in the skyscraper.
Price: $26.00