HOK Tall Buildings features conceptual designs, projects under construction and built high-rises worldwide.

As HOK’s design board notes in the book’s preface: “Tall buildings give form to human aspiration. For the past two centuries, they have served as powerful expressions of our creativity, knowledge and will. As people around the world gravitate toward urban cores, how will our big cities continue to add density while preserving vital open space? The cities of the future will ultimately have just one direction to grow: up.”

Today, 54 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 percent by 2050 according to the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects report. High-rise buildings are crucial to helping cities increase density with mixed-use functions. Innovative strategies can create highly efficient structures that conserve natural resources.

The book illustrates how HOK’s design teams have approached recent tall building projects and how social and economic forces are transforming the towers of the future. Each high-rise has its own personality and character based on its function and location. Some are iconic, while others fit comfortably into their context.

Each of the 41 featured towers integrate sculpture and science to create a sustainable, high-performance structure. The forms emerge from client needs as well as the building program, mechanical systems, site, climate and culture.

Read the HOK Tall Buildings book on Issuu or download the PDF version. You also can buy the book on Amazon.com or through the publisher, ORO Editions.

View the Flickr set of HOK Tall Buildings.

See HOK’s Tall Buildings Pinterest board.

Watch Roger Soto’s video about the Capital Market Authority Tower.