Wow! eBook
Designing Tall Buildings: Structure as Architecture 3rd Edition
Author(s): Mark Sarkisian (Author)
- Publisher: Routledge
- Publication Date: April 16, 2026
- Edition: 3rd
- Language: English
- Print length: 422 pages
- ISBN-10: 0367643855
- ISBN-13: 9780367643850
Book Description
This third edition of Designing Tall Buildings is an enhanced and accessible reference that guides the reader through the fundamental principles of designing high-rise buildings.
This new edition includes four new chapters, including initial concepts for tall building design, techniques for optimization, considerations for carbon, and the use of alternative materials such as timber. The third edition also includes 300 additional illustrations, and current code requirements and equations. Each chapter focuses on a theme central to tall-building design, giving a comprehensive overview of the related architectural and structural engineering concepts. Author Mark Sarkisian, PE, SE, NAE, LEED, provides clear definitions of technical terms and important equations, gradually developing the reader’s knowledge. Projects drawn from SOM’s vast portfolio of built high-rises, many of which Sarkisian engineered, demonstrate these concepts. The book considers the influence of particular site geology, wind conditions, and seismicity. With this contextual knowledge, the reader can develop structural systems best suited for a tower that are not only safe but constructible and economical. Sarkisian specifically addresses the influence of nature in design, urging the integration of structure and architecture for building of superior performance, sustainability, and aesthetic excellence.
This third edition is a must-have reference for students and designers.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Reviews of the previous edition:
“Designing Tall Buildings is the best book on structures and architecture available. It appeals to both architects and engineers, capturing the “why” and the “how” of tall building construction. It explains the history of tall buildings and details the structural rationale behind the art. Mark Sarkisian is a brilliant and engaging instructor, bringing structural theory to life. This book is a must-read for all designers.”
– Mary Comerio, Professor of the Graduate School, UC Berkeley, USA
“Designing Tall Buildings is a seminal reference guide that clearly illustrates the inseparability of architecture, structural design, and local context in the realization of tall buildings around the world. As one of SOM’s foremost structural engineering partners and a global thought leader on skyscraper design, Mark Sarkisian is the perfect author to give this message.”
– Antony Wood, Former President, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, USA
“Designing Tall Buildings: Structure as Architecture 3rd Edition clearly discusses the roles that structural design and nature play in tall buildings. Mark Sarkisian communicates an intuitive understanding of the interrelationships between forces at play. Clear and well written, with definitions at the end of each chapter, this book serves as an excellent learning tool.”
– The late Jon Daniel Davey, AIA, Professor of Architecture, Southern Illinois University, USA
“Sarkisian’s Designing Tall Buildings provides a masterful discussion of the synergy of architecture and structural engineering in landmark building designs by SOM. This book has inspired both students and faculty in design studio courses at Stanford University that aspire to combine technical rigor and creative thinking in architecture and engineering through the art of tall building design.”
– Greg Deierlein, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, USA
About the Author
Mark Sarkisian, PE, SE, NAE, LEED, is a structural engineering Partner, and leads the Firm-Wide structures practice of SOM. He has developed innovative structural engineering solutions for more than 100 international building projects, including some of the world’s tallest. A world-renowned leader in the design of high-performance seismic and environmentally responsible structural systems, Sarkisian has patented numerous inventions. He teaches, publishes, and lectures frequently around the world.
