Tall buildings give tangible form to human aspiration. Since the Tower of Babel, they have served as powerful expressions of our knowledge and will. Their monumentality represents the optimism of society. 'HOK Tall Buildings' is a visually engaging, accessible reference guide highlighting some of the world's most innovative tall buildings. Written by global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK, the book features creative conceptual designs, projects under construction and built high-rises worldwide. Throughout the book, central themes guiding the design of these tall buildings begin to emerge. These include a focus on creating high-performance, sustainable, iconic, efficient and mixed-use structures that increase the density urban environments. The global teams at HOK excel at designing intelligent, high-performance tall buildings that become symbols of their time and place. HOK Tall Buildings chronicles the firm's best recent designs for high-rises around the world, including: -In Saudi Arabia, an iconic centrepiece anchoring a new office district -In Azerbaijan, a flame-inspired trio of towers that transforms Baku's skyline -In South Korea, an iconic residential gateway to the neighbourhoods of Incheon's dynamic northern district Each high-rise profiled in the book is designed to blend human need, environmental stewardship, value creation, sense of place, science and art. Gain insight into the minds and approaches of HOK's global design teams as you peruse floor plans, sketches, renderings and photographs of dozens of dynamic tall buildings. Learn how an integrated design process enables teams to solve profound functional and technical challenges while igniting the imagination. Discover how designers of tall buildings can balance internal functions with the external demands of site, climate and culture to create memorable, sustainable structures that enrich people's lives. Illustrated throughout