Text: Imre Körmendy 

The construction of tall buildings has almost always been an expression of power (travelling back in time as far as the interpretation of the Bible’s author, the symbol of Babel’s tower, whereby mankind ambitioned to surpass God). We know from the history from Italian town states that rich families competed to build the highest residential buildings possible. This rivalry went so far that the family in power sometimes even demolished those built by other dynasties so that they could not pride themselves of having taller structures than their masters. To build skyscrapers was a challenge for both architects and engineers who are attracted by these complicated tasks as well as the ancient ambition to leave behind their marks. European towns as well as their centres – as sometimes they are the fruits of developments of several millennia – featured mixed type of utilization of the land and thus mixed functions. This is an advantageous development as the downtown areas would never be abandoned totally, which in turn increases the potentials of sustainability. Budapest should not lose its present-day character by any means as it is not in the interest of the country and the capital, its residents and tourists visiting it.