Can a Building Be Too Tall?
The Atlantic|January - February 2023
The rise and rise and rise of the supertall skyscraper
By Bianca Bosker
Can a Building Be Too Tall?

It was a sunny day in New York City when I realized that my sky was being stolen.

The first sign of trouble was the crane. Its thin finger appeared over the old brick building outside my window, scratching at the sliver of sky I could just make out above the rooftops. My sky. In a city where you can sprain your neck searching for sky, I relished this shard of blue, so tiny that I could cover it with my thumb.

I consoled myself about the crane with the flimsy logic I once used after discovering a bedbug: It'll go away! It didn't.

When the metal skeleton of a skyscraper materialized beneath the crane, I told myself that the new building would top out soon. It couldn't possibly get much taller.

But the skeleton kept stretching. It rose above the brick building, then over the windows of neighboring apartments, walling off precious blue behind it. It was so tall, so thin, I began to doubt that the cross-hatching of metal beams could actually be a building.

Denne historien er fra January - February 2023-utgaven av The Atlantic.

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Denne historien er fra January - February 2023-utgaven av The Atlantic.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.