Skyscrapers - past, present and future

Since its birth more than 100 years ago, the humble skyscraper has grown and matured. Shimmering glass and steel replaced classic stone exteriors, as each incarnation pushed ever skyward. But, for the latest generation of buildings, being the tallest is not necessarily the main concern.

In the latest in a BBC News series on these giant structures, deputy editor of Architects' Journal Rory Olcayto looks back to the skyscrapers of the past - and considers how their descendants are evolving today.

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Images courtesy Getty Images, RIBAPIX, eVolo Magazine, PA and Reuters. Music by Billy Joel, Ian van Dahl, Elbow and Repertoire Music.

Slideshow production by Paul Kerley. Publication date 30 November 2012.

Related:

A view from the top of London's Shard

Royal Institute of British Architects

Architects' Journal

eVolo Magazine

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