Anyone who knows my son knows that he is driven by a few key obsessions. And I use the word obsessions because indeed they are. And, I am happy to say, I share many of them.
He loves airports. He loves planes. He loves geography. And he REALLY loves skyscrapers.
So each year my son and I await eagerly for a somewhat nerdy video that appears on YouTube with a disco-theme list of the tallest skyscrapers under construction. Emily benevolently allows us our superbly geeky moment as we turn up the volume on the music, dance in our chairs, and watch with wonder at the towers that are being built around the world. My son knows quite a bit about them, as he dedicates a lot of his spare time to studying them. I just wonder at them and what they represent. They are gutsy. They are ecosystems of engineering and design. They are symbols of how far we’ve come as a people and just how futile it will always be for us to be anything compared to the majesty of nature .
The latest installment of this video just came out and my teen boy and I found ourselves in front of the computer, unabashedly ooooh-ing and ahhh-ing at the wonders of architecture around the world. So I am sharing it here with all of you. I am sure that there are details in this video that architecture professionals would not adore, but for the armchair architecture enthusiast, this is a fun way to talk with my kids about all that is possible, and some of what is happening in the world of high-end, and high-floor design.
I also love this infographic that compares some of the tallest buildings in the world.
While I still believe that the most important modern marvels take place within the human heart, and that heaven is a serious and intimate pursuit of faith and love, the girders that reach toward heaven are a fun way that I connect with my boy. I hope they let you and your imagination wander. (Turn up the volume. I won’t tell anyone. Admit it. This is too cool.)
