The Solaire

Abstract

While the Manhattan skyline is full of instantly recognizable icons, the days when the Big Apple stood at the forward edge of architecture are largely in the past. The tallest skyscrapers are now rising in Asia, and the latest technical engineering innovations are more likely to be realized in Europe. Until the redevelopment at Ground Zero prompted a recent surge of public interest in architecture and urban design, bottomline pressures and preservation struggles tended to dominate discussions about architecture in New York City.