The first skyscrapers they built in Mexico City sank into the swamp. So they built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So they built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up.
In Budapest, you cannot build a building taller than the Hungarian Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica. Which is 96 meters. But maybe it's only like that in the city center, I don't know. The Mol Campus was recently completed, it is 143 meters high. Anyway, luckily there are no skyscrapers here.
In most cities that protect their skyline, they do have areas where you can build taller buildings (like Paris). In Budapest you need special permission to build taller buildings over the max permitted height. The MOL building is not even the tallest one in the city, that title goes to the chimney of the power plant of North-Buda at 200 meters. And there are 2 radio towers that are taller than the MOL tower as well.
Same in Athens with the Acropolis, but a new skyscraper is currently being built in the Athenian riviera that'll be 200 m (656 ft) tall though the seashore is not "Athens" per se and it's no way near the Acropolis
Rotterdam is full of skyscrapers but there the city center was bombed flat at the start of WW2. Very interesting and daring architecture can be found there. The Hague center also has skyscrapers. Historical city centers are protected areas (national or Unesco heritage) so no skyscrapers there.
In France there is a right to light. In urbanism it express itself as a rule of height minus ground floor relative to street width. If you make a 100meters high building then it has 97 meters of empty space in front of it... Obviously not recommended and not dense at all (the barcelona cerda city block is one to look into for density) ... The only real tower inside Paris is the montparnasse tower and everyone haaaates it!
The place you went to was most likely Bruges, which is beautiful. Brussels however is almost universally hated, lol. I love that they even got a term in city planning (the Brusselization thing) to shit on them.
There is another way to tackle rental costs in a city: RER-like express public transport. That’s what Paris has done (see, uh, the RER) and why London will not build any more tube-spec underground lines (with the possible exception of the long planned Bakerloo extension, and a final extension to the Battersea branch of the Northern line to allow better workings of the existing infrastructure). London has concrete (if early) plans for Crossrail 2, vague ideas about Thameslink 2, and a few new Overground projects. These make it quick and easy to get into the core from destinations beyond the current green belt limits. Outside London, similar projects include HS3/Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) using capacity unlocked by HS2 to better connect Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, and to a lesser extent East West Rail (EWR) which will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge as well as their local areas.
Because workers could live outside the city paying lower rents but could still travel into the city centre every day, this would lesson the demand for city accommodation forcing property owners in city centres to lower their rents.
All historical centres have strict planning and preservation regulations where new build must rigurously conform to existing structures. Skyscrapers are built where an area is dedicated to development of business. In London (as an example) there are distinct areas set aside for business development requiring little or no regulation controls. The contrast is so vivid (as you travel round the metropolis) that you could think you've entered a different state.!
Italy doesn’t have skyscrapers in most cities because the country is focused on protecting its incredible historical and cultural heritage. Strict building regulations ensure that landmarks stay visible and that the skyline reflects the city’s history rather than modern development. Here are some examples of what can’t be covered up: 1. Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica dominates the skyline, and views of landmarks like the Colosseum are carefully preserved. 2. Florence: The Duomo (Brunelleschi’s dome) and the Palazzo Vecchio must remain the focal points of the city. 3. Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica and the unique lagoon views can’t be obstructed. 4. Milan: The Duomo’s iconic spires are protected, but modern skyscrapers exist in areas like Porta Nuova, away from the historical center. 5. Bologna: The Two Towers (Asinelli and Garisenda) are the city’s defining features. 6. Turin: The Mole Antonelliana is the landmark the entire city is built around. 7. Naples: The view of Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples is a key part of the city’s identity. Italy values its history and identity over modern high-rises, which is why you won’t find skyscrapers in the middle of its most famous cities. Modern buildings are usually located on the outskirts, leaving the historical centers intact.
Having a high speed rail and good train net work would upset the car manufactures, the fuel giants, and inner city condo rents (insurance companies, investment organizations etc) Therefore, these powerful groups push back on anything that would upset their monopoly on power, money, and greed. No one cares for the little guy in the eye's of the The World Economic Forum (WEF) What it does: The WEF engages leaders from business, politics, and other sectors to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. In their utopian way they see the World for their benefit only.
Building Skyscrapers in Central London isn't only about the fact that it sits on 80 metre deep clay but in that 80 metres are many many tunnels, the Underground Railway lines, current and old disused ones, and Victorian Sewers still in use that are larger than the railway tunnels. Finding space to sink piles down to the bedrock is almost impossible. The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) has a list on it as was sinking, now underpinned but the list left as correcting may have affected the timekeeping of the clock as has been listing for many many years. I have a wall clock that has developed a lean from the chimes, if straightened it stops. Westminster has many pedestrian tunnels that link Government offices with Parliament, built when the offices were built and extended during both World Wars, new ones added as new offices built or taken over. The Canary Wharf development is in the old docklands with few underground tunnels so deep piling is possible. The Shard, the tallest building in London is also in an area of the city with little underground infrastructure and is also a very lightweight building for a tall one as lightweight steel box beams and very lightweight but strong glass.
A fun feature of the Shard is that the frame is designed to send the majority of the weight down one side. This allows the piling on the other side to not crush the Jubilee line tunnels that run under the building.
Here in Vienna there are 24 buildings over 100 meters. Most are office buildings. I personally know - if I'm not mistaken - 7 people (actually couples and families) who live in high-rise buildings. And they all hate it. At first it was unusual and interesting, but usually they enjoy a more intimate relationship with their neighbors. The impersonality and usually difficult communication is also a problem for them. And last but not least: in both families I know, the children don't like it at all. Two of them used to be dog owners, but not anymore because dogs are not allowed in the buildings where they live.
Population density as of 2021 of Asia is 246.11 per square mile, Europe is 187.4 per square mile, Africa 87.15 per square mile, North America 57.29 per square mile, South America 56.90 per square mile and Australia 8.37 per square mile. If you took China alone it is about 10% smaller than the continent of Europe with a population just 5% less than twice as large.
There are one exception in Europe. Benidorm, a city in Spain. Is the place with more skycrapers of Europe, have 30 buildings that surpassed 100m. Heigth
The first and only skyscraper that has ever been planned in Denmark, was a billionaire that wanted to build a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, in his birth town, which is a small village in rural Denmark. Suffice to say, it didn't go anywhere lol
I like the idea of building downward. I'd love to add a couple of floors under my house, but my husband won't let me. 😂 It would be at least a two-person job. I don't want to dig it on my own.
Im gathering the high speed train would be stopped by petrol/gas lobby and car manufacturers lobby. 2 very big and powerful lobby groups. High-speed trains would be run by electric. Your electric grid is pretty unstable as it is, a gust of wind or someone sneezing the power goes down for days.
Well, in my little part of Germany there are high-rise buildings with an average of 12-15 floors, but they are not exactly popular as places to live (anymore). Too many people in a small space, relatively thin walls and too much anonymity. This often leads to no one, even on the same floor, feeling responsible for keeping the area clean. Many of these buildings were built between 1960 and 1975, some as condominiums, many by housing cooperatives (state housing and private housing). And in some cities there are also the feelings and experiences such as those in Hamburg during "Operation Gomorrah".
I wouldn't live in a skyscraper if I get paid for it , they are ugly unsave in case something happens like fire, for example. Nope, not for me. i don't even want to live in a city with nothing but concrete to look at, and it's way too busy .
Europe does have skyscrapers just not super tall skyscrapers. Russia has the tallest in Europe, UK has some of the tallest aswell. we just don’t flood cities with Skyscrapers and if we do a specific area is chosen that doesn’t hinder the beauty of a European city. I mean even my city Leeds has a few skyscrapers and our neighbour Manchester has a lot more than Leeds.
If you put a skyscrape in any of the old cities in Europe it will destroy the old look of the city. Why would you want to destroy a old city that is so beutiful. So a lot of countries have rules about what they can and can not build and where. And also in Sweden we have this rules about light and the right to direct light in apartments where you live. In areas where there are not that many old houses or buildings there are some higher buildings but not like skyscrapes. I am glad that in Sweden we don't have that many really tall buildings, the one that comes to mind is the Turning Torso in Malmö. Kind of cool i guess, but i would hate it if if would have been built in any old part of the towns in Malmö or the rest of Sweden. There are ofc others but i would not really rate them as skyscrapes. Well then there is also the Cathedrals not sure which one is the highest but again not a Skyscrape.
Maybe watch “in Bruges” and see if you recognize it Btw the conspiracy theory posed about skyscrapers in Europe and corruption is the dumbest thing I ever heard, there in Copenhagen the rules about building heights are from 1795 and has to do with fire prevention
I'm sure a lot of it comes down to the time those developments took place and if there was anything of significance to be lost in the places they are built. Somewhere like Dubai has been booming in the last 10-20 years and probably nothing of historical value was lost to make room for their tall buildings. London has built skyscrapers but theres not a huge amount, probably as theres no space due to lots of historical buildings or whatever. The Shard is only about 15 years old.
we aren't that stupid...we would spoil the view of our historical cities...what is more beautiful, a skyscraper or a thousand-year-old beautiful building? and we don't like big buildings, we love small, quiet cities
Hi Connor, yes you're right, it was Bruges that you visited and not Brussels. Because apart from the fabulous Grand Place and Place de Broucker, this city is one of the rare examples in the world of a city massacred without it being by an earthquake or bombings ! Indeed, through some madness, a bunch of assholes named "architects" have completely demolished the "Old Buxelles" to build buildings, each more disparate and uglier than the other. All the old houses were razed to replace the by all sorts of horrors in the 50s and 60s. As a result, Brussels became one of the ugliest capitals in Europe. (Otherwise Türkiye isn't part of Europe, and with a madman like Erdogan, that is even less likely to happen...) The same thing is almost arrived in Paris with this atrocious Montparnasse Tower, a kind of cancer in this wonderful city. All the Parisians HATE this awful black vertical rectangle ! It's since the scandal of its construction that a law has passed, prohibiting the skyscrapers in the capital. My dream has always been that they raze this horror, or at the very least, that they paint it white so as to see it less...
Not that you've ever seen any of my recommendations yet, but I'd still recommend again the little almost 7 minute video I have up as I think it is relevant and interesting and ties in with the architectural videos you've seen lately "I Never Knew That About Britain - How a mill in England gave rise to the world's skyscrapers"
That video is so BS.... there are multiple skyscrapers in my city (The Hague, NL) alone.... Maybe they're not 300 meters high, but they do fall into the category.
The first skyscrapers they built in Mexico City sank into the swamp. So they built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So they built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up.
Love the "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" reference :)
In Budapest, you cannot build a building taller than the Hungarian Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica. Which is 96 meters. But maybe it's only like that in the city center, I don't know. The Mol Campus was recently completed, it is 143 meters high. Anyway, luckily there are no skyscrapers here.
Same in Rome with the Vatican
In most cities that protect their skyline, they do have areas where you can build taller buildings (like Paris). In Budapest you need special permission to build taller buildings over the max permitted height. The MOL building is not even the tallest one in the city, that title goes to the chimney of the power plant of North-Buda at 200 meters. And there are 2 radio towers that are taller than the MOL tower as well.
Same in Athens with the Acropolis, but a new skyscraper is currently being built in the Athenian riviera that'll be 200 m (656 ft) tall though the seashore is not "Athens" per se and it's no way near the Acropolis
Bruges is a city in Belgium.
Rotterdam is full of skyscrapers but there the city center was bombed flat at the start of WW2.
Very interesting and daring architecture can be found there. The Hague center also has skyscrapers.
Historical city centers are protected areas (national or Unesco heritage) so no skyscrapers there.
In France there is a right to light. In urbanism it express itself as a rule of height minus ground floor relative to street width. If you make a 100meters high building then it has 97 meters of empty space in front of it... Obviously not recommended and not dense at all (the barcelona cerda city block is one to look into for density) ... The only real tower inside Paris is the montparnasse tower and everyone haaaates it!
London has the most sky skrapers in Europe, but it wasnt always that way
I think it's Moscow sir 😐😐
Hi, i ve seen a documentary about London fighting high rents. They build up to 4 basement floors apartments down into the ground.
no not legal at all. user-wh7hs2bc6m
The place you went to was most likely Bruges, which is beautiful. Brussels however is almost universally hated, lol. I love that they even got a term in city planning (the Brusselization thing) to shit on them.
There is another way to tackle rental costs in a city: RER-like express public transport. That’s what Paris has done (see, uh, the RER) and why London will not build any more tube-spec underground lines (with the possible exception of the long planned Bakerloo extension, and a final extension to the Battersea branch of the Northern line to allow better workings of the existing infrastructure). London has concrete (if early) plans for Crossrail 2, vague ideas about Thameslink 2, and a few new Overground projects. These make it quick and easy to get into the core from destinations beyond the current green belt limits. Outside London, similar projects include HS3/Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) using capacity unlocked by HS2 to better connect Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, and to a lesser extent East West Rail (EWR) which will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge as well as their local areas.
Because workers could live outside the city paying lower rents but could still travel into the city centre every day, this would lesson the demand for city accommodation forcing property owners in city centres to lower their rents.
All historical centres have strict planning and preservation regulations where
new build must rigurously conform to existing structures.
Skyscrapers are built where an area is dedicated to development of business.
In London (as an example) there are distinct areas set aside for business development requiring little or no regulation controls.
The contrast is so vivid (as you travel round the metropolis) that you could think you've entered a different state.!
Italy doesn’t have skyscrapers in most cities because the country is focused on protecting its incredible historical and cultural heritage. Strict building regulations ensure that landmarks stay visible and that the skyline reflects the city’s history rather than modern development.
Here are some examples of what can’t be covered up:
1. Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica dominates the skyline, and views of landmarks like the Colosseum are carefully preserved.
2. Florence: The Duomo (Brunelleschi’s dome) and the Palazzo Vecchio must remain the focal points of the city.
3. Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica and the unique lagoon views can’t be obstructed.
4. Milan: The Duomo’s iconic spires are protected, but modern skyscrapers exist in areas like Porta Nuova, away from the historical center.
5. Bologna: The Two Towers (Asinelli and Garisenda) are the city’s defining features.
6. Turin: The Mole Antonelliana is the landmark the entire city is built around.
7. Naples: The view of Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples is a key part of the city’s identity.
Italy values its history and identity over modern high-rises, which is why you won’t find skyscrapers in the middle of its most famous cities. Modern buildings are usually located on the outskirts, leaving the historical centers intact.
Mexico City is built on an old city in a system of islands, called Tenochtitlan
Having a high speed rail and good train net work would upset the car manufactures, the fuel giants, and inner city condo rents (insurance companies, investment organizations etc) Therefore, these powerful groups push back on anything that would upset their monopoly on power, money, and greed. No one cares for the little guy in the eye's of the The World Economic Forum (WEF)
What it does: The WEF engages leaders from business, politics, and other sectors to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. In their utopian way they see the World for their benefit only.
"land of the free" my arse
No lifts when we started building and stairs are tedious
First skyscraper was the Sullivan building in Chicago in 1891.
Building Skyscrapers in Central London isn't only about the fact that it sits on 80 metre deep clay but in that 80 metres are many many tunnels, the Underground Railway lines, current and old disused ones, and Victorian Sewers still in use that are larger than the railway tunnels. Finding space to sink piles down to the bedrock is almost impossible. The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) has a list on it as was sinking, now underpinned but the list left as correcting may have affected the timekeeping of the clock as has been listing for many many years. I have a wall clock that has developed a lean from the chimes, if straightened it stops. Westminster has many pedestrian tunnels that link Government offices with Parliament, built when the offices were built and extended during both World Wars, new ones added as new offices built or taken over. The Canary Wharf development is in the old docklands with few underground tunnels so deep piling is possible. The Shard, the tallest building in London is also in an area of the city with little underground infrastructure and is also a very lightweight building for a tall one as lightweight steel box beams and very lightweight but strong glass.
A fun feature of the Shard is that the frame is designed to send the majority of the weight down one side. This allows the piling on the other side to not crush the Jubilee line tunnels that run under the building.
London has restrictions on skyscrapers that interfere with certain views. Especially St Pauls.
Tour Montparnasse is projected to be renovated with 21st century standards, not as ugly as now 😂
Here in Vienna there are 24 buildings over 100 meters. Most are office buildings. I personally know - if I'm not mistaken - 7 people (actually couples and families) who live in high-rise buildings. And they all hate it. At first it was unusual and interesting, but usually they enjoy a more intimate relationship with their neighbors. The impersonality and usually difficult communication is also a problem for them. And last but not least: in both families I know, the children don't like it at all. Two of them used to be dog owners, but not anymore because dogs are not allowed in the buildings where they live.
Manchester is undergoing a skyscraper building boom with many areas of the City centre being redeveloped
Manchester is undergoing a skyscraper building boom with many areas of the City centre being ruined.
The Walkie Talkie tower (home to the Sky Garden) was the building that melted a car
The population density in Europe isn't the highest. That price goes to mainly Asian countries, especially when we talk about cities.
Population density as of 2021 of Asia is 246.11 per square mile, Europe is 187.4 per square mile, Africa 87.15 per square mile, North America 57.29 per square mile, South America 56.90 per square mile and Australia 8.37 per square mile. If you took China alone it is about 10% smaller than the continent of Europe with a population just 5% less than twice as large.
There are one exception in Europe. Benidorm, a city in Spain. Is the place with more skycrapers of Europe, have 30 buildings that surpassed 100m. Heigth
The first and only skyscraper that has ever been planned in Denmark, was a billionaire that wanted to build a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, in his birth town, which is a small village in rural Denmark. Suffice to say, it didn't go anywhere lol
Most cities or villages in Europe are older than the USA
Asia is the most densely populated continent obviously
I like the idea of building downward. I'd love to add a couple of floors under my house, but my husband won't let me. 😂 It would be at least a two-person job. I don't want to dig it on my own.
Im gathering the high speed train would be stopped by petrol/gas lobby and car manufacturers lobby. 2 very big and powerful lobby groups. High-speed trains would be run by electric. Your electric grid is pretty unstable as it is, a gust of wind or someone sneezing the power goes down for days.
London is certainly growing upwards as the population is growing and due to the green belt can't really grow outwards. The walkie talkie burns cars
Well, in my little part of Germany there are high-rise buildings with an average of 12-15 floors, but they are not exactly popular as places to live (anymore). Too many people in a small space, relatively thin walls and too much anonymity. This often leads to no one, even on the same floor, feeling responsible for keeping the area clean. Many of these buildings were built between 1960 and 1975, some as condominiums, many by housing cooperatives (state housing and private housing).
And in some cities there are also the feelings and experiences such as those in Hamburg during "Operation Gomorrah".
Only half of Manhattan consists of rocks, which is why there are only skyscrapers there!
Hello. This is a much better video about this topic. Why Europe Doesn't Build Skyscrapers from the channel B1M.
Being a American, I'm pretty sure its all about we have the biggest, tallest, do you see us, respect us now! Cadillac mentality.
Some mistakes about London.
I wouldn't live in a skyscraper if I get paid for it , they are ugly unsave in case something happens like fire, for example. Nope, not for me. i don't even want to live in a city with nothing but concrete to look at, and it's way too busy .
Efficiency versus irreplaceable treasures ? - representing the history and the culture ?
Europe does have skyscrapers just not super tall skyscrapers. Russia has the tallest in Europe, UK has some of the tallest aswell. we just don’t flood cities with Skyscrapers and if we do a specific area is chosen that doesn’t hinder the beauty of a European city.
I mean even my city Leeds has a few skyscrapers and our neighbour Manchester has a lot more than Leeds.
Are you sure you are american ? I know there are smart people in the US but you look really smart and very broadly educated.
See what happens went Americans travel outside its own country ( and I don't mean going to Canada or Mexico lol)
Lamb chops
Asia comprises 60% of the population of the planet. It is the most densely populated continent on the earth.
If you put a skyscrape in any of the old cities in Europe it will destroy the old look of the city. Why would you want to destroy a old city that is so beutiful. So a lot of countries have rules about what they can and can not build and where. And also in Sweden we have this rules about light and the right to direct light in apartments where you live.
In areas where there are not that many old houses or buildings there are some higher buildings but not like skyscrapes.
I am glad that in Sweden we don't have that many really tall buildings, the one that comes to mind is the Turning Torso in Malmö. Kind of cool i guess, but i would hate it if if would have been built in any old part of the towns in Malmö or the rest of Sweden. There are ofc others but i would not really rate them as skyscrapes. Well then there is also the Cathedrals not sure which one is the highest but again not a Skyscrape.
Maybe watch “in Bruges” and see if you recognize it
Btw the conspiracy theory posed about skyscrapers in Europe and corruption is the dumbest thing I ever heard, there in Copenhagen the rules about building heights are from 1795 and has to do with fire prevention
Si edificas en europa, lo más probable es que encuentres , algunos restos históricos, se para la obra hasta que se estudia todo,
I'm sure a lot of it comes down to the time those developments took place and if there was anything of significance to be lost in the places they are built. Somewhere like Dubai has been booming in the last 10-20 years and probably nothing of historical value was lost to make room for their tall buildings. London has built skyscrapers but theres not a huge amount, probably as theres no space due to lots of historical buildings or whatever. The Shard is only about 15 years old.
Skyscrapers are not efficient . Beyond certain height , buukding gets complicated and msintaining inefficient ..
we aren't that stupid...we would spoil the view of our historical cities...what is more beautiful, a skyscraper or a thousand-year-old beautiful building? and we don't like big buildings, we love small, quiet cities
Hi Connor, yes you're right, it was Bruges that you visited and not Brussels. Because apart from the fabulous Grand Place and Place de Broucker, this city is one of the rare examples in the world of a city massacred without it being by an earthquake or bombings ! Indeed, through some madness, a bunch of assholes named "architects" have completely demolished the "Old Buxelles" to build buildings, each more disparate and uglier than the other. All the old houses were razed to replace the by all sorts of horrors in the 50s and 60s. As a result, Brussels became one of the ugliest capitals in Europe. (Otherwise Türkiye isn't part of Europe, and with a madman like Erdogan, that is even less likely to happen...)
The same thing is almost arrived in Paris with this atrocious Montparnasse Tower, a kind of cancer in this wonderful city.
All the Parisians HATE this awful black vertical rectangle !
It's since the scandal of its construction that a law has passed, prohibiting the skyscrapers in the capital. My dream has always been that they raze this horror, or at the very least, that they paint it white so as to see it less...
Not that you've ever seen any of my recommendations yet, but I'd still recommend again the little almost 7 minute video I have up as I think it is relevant and interesting and ties in with the architectural videos you've seen lately
"I Never Knew That About Britain - How a mill in England gave rise to the world's skyscrapers"
Its just "willy waving" really.
Not the best original video on this topic I've seen.
Check out Stewart Lee - Top Gear
Brugge ;)
That video is so BS.... there are multiple skyscrapers in my city (The Hague, NL) alone.... Maybe they're not 300 meters high, but they do fall into the category.
Rimini in Italy, my city, the only skyscraper we have has 27 floors! and it is not in the center but more towards the sea area! 😂😂😂
building in Europe is a thousand times more expensive...a lot of history. An exception is London...a city without personality