Why Skyscrapers Became Glass Boxes

Part of this is a problem of legibility. For some building features, like granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, or washer/dryer hookups, developers can quantify how much they’ll contribute to additional rents, and how much it's worth spending on them. But for exterior ornamentation, or simply an attractive exterior design, it’s much more... See more

This home obviously isn’t anything resembling “modern” architecture, and the front of the house has a great deal of ornamentation. Stone cladding, decorative shutters, faux lintels over the windows, and so on. On the sides , however, there’s virtually nothing: no stone cladding, no decoration on the windows, almost no ornament whatsoever. (In many ... See more

Similarly, in his analysis of the architectural profession in the 1980s, Robert Gutman notes that architects were increasingly pressured by clients to economically justify the aesthetic elements of their designs, in part because clients were increasingly organizations rather than individuals:

This trend towards “financialization,” of viewing a building increasingly in economic terms and only adding features that could be financially justified, continued over the course of the 20th century. Following World War II, developers embraced modernism because it provided an excuse to construct buildings less expensively, notes Steven Ruttenbaum:

Loewenberg notes that this design was incredibly simple and inexpensive to create:

‘‘it is the simplest box we have ever built, and in fact, the hardest part of the job was convincing the contractors that other than the cost of the materials to extend the balcony slabs this would be no different from building the basic box.’’ Ultimately, Loewenberg

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Loewenberg notes that this design was incredibly simple and inexpensive to create:

‘‘it is the simplest box we have ever built, and in fact, the hardest part of the job was convincing the contractors that other than the cost of the materials to extend the balcony slabs this would be no different from building the basic box.’’ Ultimately, Loewenberg

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Similarly, famous modern architect Philip Johnson designed Pennzoil Place, which won many accolades for its design (it was described as the “Building of the Decade” by architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable), but its design was ultimately the result of feedback from developer Gerald Hines and Pennzoil chairman Hugh Liedtke1. From Raising the Bar ,... See more

Meredith Clausen similarly describes the Roth’s in her history of the Pan Am building:

A large measure of the firm’s success was due, as Richard Roth was later bluntly to explain in his essay, “High-Rise Down to Earth,” to their aim “not to create masterpieces” but to provide buildings that worked efficiently and economically for their clients: buil

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To design the building, the developer hires an architect, who will lead the design effort and manage the design team (which includes specialties like structural engineers, mechanical engineers, and so on). The architect is the developer’s agent, and is duty-bound by professional ethics to act in their interest.

Which is not to say that the architect... See more