Because European towns have a distinct structure, which is the product of sluggish expansion rather than planned. Many cities, such as Berlin, Paris, and London, have strong laws that prohibit the development of high-rise structures. The reasons for this policy vary from city to city; in general, it can be said that local authorities want to preserve the appearance of their cities by preventing buildings from becoming too dominant.
There are two main reasons why this policy is not adopted by all European countries. First, there are a number of older European cities that have very little space left on the skyline. Second, there are some large multinational companies that want to build corporate headquarters in central locations. These buildings often reach over 100 meters, which is more than enough height to be visible from far away while still being close to ground level.
The most famous example of this policy is probably Berlin. When planning for their new business district known as "Silo", developers were asked to provide alternatives for any lost buildings. This idea came from Bernhard Schultes, who at the time was mayor of Berlin and director of urban planning. Although many people wanted to build towers like those found in New York or Chicago, this proposal was never accepted because it was believed that it would ruin the appearance of the city.
Why isn't Europe erecting more skyscrapers? Other cities, such as Rome and Istanbul, do not have such laws, but they are not developing any either.
The only major European city with skyscrapers is Moscow, which has been building them for decades. But even there, the buildings are mostly luxury condos, not office towers.
The reason why Europe doesn't have many skyscrapers is because it's not a good business environment for developers. The cost of construction is very high, so most companies prefer to build low-cost housing instead. Also, most cities in Europe have strict zoning laws that limit how high you can build. This makes it difficult to get financing for big projects.
There are some countries in Europe that are famous for their tall buildings. France and Italy both have many skyscrapers, but they are mostly luxury hotels or offices. There are some public housing developments in London (such as Tower Hamlets) that rise up to 48 stories, but they are under police surveillance due to concerns about crime involvement in building sites.
The average height of a skyscraper in Europe is around 40 stories.
The answer is in your question: the age of these cities in comparison. Skyscrapers are a relatively modern innovation, but European cities are centuries old. As a result, their city centres were often created decades before skyscraper technology was developed. After all, it took years before steel frames were strong enough to support heavy buildings.
In addition, most Irish cities were built on marshland which is not suitable for building on. Finally, the Irish climate is considered poor by American standards. There is not much call for tall buildings here.
Some cities did have high buildings early on. Dublin had two 17-storey hotels built in 1878. But they were destroyed by fire less than 10 years later. And that's about it!
There were plans to build more today if money was available but this never happened.
Nowadays, there are several companies who trade as "skyscraper specialists". One of them is Jones & Bartlett - a large commercial builder with offices in London, New York, and Singapore. They built an office block called CityPoint in Richmond, Virginia, which is currently the tallest building in Virginia and ranks as the 28th highest building in the United States.
CityPoint has 30 floors above ground and stands next to another J&B project called The Yard.
Overview High-rise building construction is uncommon in German cities, particularly in city centers, where steeples are generally the highest structures. The German word Eiche is usually translated as "tree," but it can also mean "ash" or "spruce." Thus, an "eichelbaum" is a Christmas tree. An ash tree is called an Eiche. Also used for buildings and structures made out of ash or spruce trees.
There are three main types of high-rise buildings in Germany: office towers, hotel towers, and residential towers. They range in height from under 50 meters to nearly 300 meters (164 feet - 98 floors).
Office towers are usually found in central locations, near major transport links and at busy intersections. They serve as landmarks and provide good views from the upper floors. Some include shopping malls, restaurants, or other commercial facilities on the ground floor. Others have only offices on the upper floors.
Hotel towers are usually found in suburban locations, near major airports and with access to motorways. They often serve as hotels themselves, while others are purely commercial. Like office towers, some have shopping malls, restaurants, or other services on the ground floor.
Residential towers are built for people to live in.
The primary factors are money and the passage of time. The majority of Europe's "historical" structures are no more than four or five hundred years old, and they originate from a time when European economies were quickly expanding and economic disparity was (in the long run) really decreasing. Builders had money to spend, so they built big and complex.
At that time, most Europeans lived in small towns or rural areas, so they needed large churches with many rooms for priests and monks to live in as well as store their belongings. Also, kings and princes wanted huge castles where they could feel safe from attack by other countries' armies. Finally, cities such as London, Paris, and Milan needed large markets where people could buy and sell goods, so they also got lots of public buildings.
As you can see, these are all pretty important structures in society at that time, so they received our attention first when we started building houses. After all, who wouldn't want a castle or a church to live in?
However, over time these same builders became aware of new technologies being developed in other parts of the world, especially in Asia, and they began to add on to their existing structures by adding on more floors or enlarging existing windows. For example, the French builder Robert de LaSalle is considered the father of Chicago architecture because he added extra floors to his own house in 1680.
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