American Scientist

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, did more than bring down the World Trade Center towers. The collapse of those New York City megastructures, once the fifth and sixth tallest buildings in the world, signaled the beginning of a new era in the planning, design, construction and use of skyscrapers everywhere. For the foreseeable future, there are not likely to be any new super-tall buildings proposed, and only those currently under construction will be added to the skylines of the great cities of the world. Even the continued occupancy of signature skyscrapers may come under scrutiny by their prime tenants.