Vertical Europe

The Sociology of High-rise Construction

Andrea Glauser

Cite this publication as

Andrea Glauser, Vertical Europe (2020), Campus Frankfurt / New York, 60486 Frankfurt/Main, ISBN: 9783593440811

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Description / Abstract

In den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten sind weltweit so viele Hochhäuser gebaut worden wie nie zuvor. Auch in Europa, wo lange Zeit vor allem Kirchtürme und Schornsteine vertikale Akzente setzten, prägen sie vermehrt das Gesicht der Städte. Die neuere monumentale Architektur ist mit vielfältigen Versprechen, Begehrlichkeiten und Befürchtungen verknüpft. Am Beispiel von Paris, London und Wien diskutiert diese Studie, welche Vorstellungen von Urbanität dabei im Spiel sind. Sie verortet das vertikale Bauen im Spannungsfeld von globalisierten Vergleichshorizonten und städtischem Eigensinn.

More high-rises have been built worldwide over the past two decades than ever before. Even in Europe, where vertical accents have traditionally been placed by steeples and chimneys, towering buildings are increasingly shaping the face of cities. This new monumental architecture is associated with a variety of promises, desires and fears. Based on the examples of Paris, London and Vienna, this study discusses the concepts of urbanity that come into play here. It contextualizes vertical construction in the field of tension between globalized horizons of comparison on the one hand and urban specificity on the other.

Description

Andrea Glauser ist Privatdozentin am Soziologischen Seminar der Universität Luzern und lehrt qualitative Forschungsmethoden an der Hochschule Luzern..

Table of content

  • BEGINN
  • Contents
  • I Introduction
  • 1 Point of departure, research question
  • 2 Research design†”Methodological approach, empirical material
  • 3 Structure of the study
  • II Theoretical points of reference
  • 1 Simmel†™s concept of “spatial form† as a starting point
  • 2 Tracing urban specificity
  • 3 City, globalization, fields of observation
  • 4 Architecture as “built society†
  • 5 Contours of sociological high-rise research
  • III Vertical construction between globalized patterns and local specificity†”Case studies of European metropolises
  • 1 Formative constellations, translation dynamics
  • 2 Paris
  • 3 London
  • 4 Vienna
  • IV Forms of use and symbolism of tall buildings
  • 1 Local production of meaning†”High-rises and urban specificity
  • 2 The role and perception of “iconic† architects
  • 3 “Monsters of the mere market††”High-rises, capitalism, and the logic of one-upmanship
  • 4 Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Acknowledgments

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