High rise buildings in historic cities

High rise building was the most remarkable new building type to emerge in the late 19th century which has entirely changed the scale, appearance, concept and image of cities with its great visual impact. With advanced technologies the skylines of the cities dominated by high rise buildings all over the world in 20th century. In the 21st century it can be expected that more and more innovative high rise buildings will be built, utilizing the cutting-edge techniques also in historic cities with World Heritage Sites. High rise buildings’ relationship with their context is more problematic than any other structure, the subject of what they add and what they take away to the city is quite controversial. Introducing a new building in a historic city has a dramatic impact on traditional urbanistic structure. In this study high rise buildings in historic cities with World Heritage Sites, their development, and impact on the city and the urban image are examined by selected examples from different historic cities. The current approaches for designing high rise buildings in a historical setting will be also examined.