The design of a building can produce a bold statement, define an era and change people’s relationship to the environment around them. Skyscrapers are the ultimate symbol of the economic forces of the 20th and 21st century. Since the first skyscrapers were erected in Chicago at the end of the 19th century, man has been in a continual race to build ever higher skywards.

We learn about the towering buildings of the great financial centres of London and New York before turning to the Far East and the Petronas Towers and Building 101. Some of the most innovative, iconic architecture in recent decades has been devoted to buildings for the arts, such as the Sydney Opera House, Paris’ Louvre Pyramid and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

At times, natural circumstances have transpired so that whole cities have sprung up at once, creating a snapshot of a design trend, such as Art Deco Miami. Today, a premium is set on designer living, with the emphasis on designer hotels and hip hangouts across the world, as we discover.