The economics of super-tall towers

This paper addresses global economic factors influencing the decisions leading to the development of super-tall towers, including population growth and urbanization, economic cycles and the 'Skyscraper Index', regulation and 'regulatory tax', and resource availability. The project economics of individual developments are then explored with respect to construction costs. The development, design and construction challenges that impact on cost are also discussed. Furthermore, a breakdown of costs is given in the form of an indicative cost model (for a central London landmark tower) from cost data collected by Davis Langdon in the course of their work as construction consultants. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.