--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The skyscraper - any building over seven…" description: "\"The skyscraper - any building over seven stories really - will come to be seen as an experimental building type that doesn't work well in an energy-sta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_the-skyscraper-any-building-over-seven-s_1983906.png" --- # The skyscraper - any building over seven stories really… ![“The skyscraper - any building over seven stories really - will come to be seen as an experimental building type that doesn't work well in an energy-starved economy.” quote by James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_the-skyscraper-any-building-over-seven-s_1983906.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_the-skyscraper-any-building-over-seven-s_1983906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_the-skyscraper-any-building-over-seven-s_1983906.png) > “The skyscraper - any building over seven stories really - will come to be seen as an experimental building type that doesn't work well in an energy-starved economy.” [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High-rise buildings become impractical in energy‑scarce contexts, making them experimental and inefficient. **In simple terms:** Tall buildings waste energy; they’re experimental. Key Takeaway Prioritize sustainable design over height. Themes architecture energy sustainability Mood critical analytical Type analytical critical When to use this quote - city planning - building codes - real‑estate development - energy policy Key Concepts urban planning environmental economics design theory Questions to Reflect On - Can we redesign skyscrapers for low‑energy use? - What alternatives exist for dense housing? A Different Perspective Tall structures may still be needed for density. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-seven-3403024/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Starved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-starved-3403026/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Experimental Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experimental-building-3403025/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscraper/) [Skyscraper Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscraper-building-3403023/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I'm very optimistic about the future. 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Walking between the magnificent skyscrapers one feels the presence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-city-of-new-york-is-like-an-enormous-citadel-a-modern-carcassonne/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [There's a kind of beauty to a skyscraper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/there-s-a-kind-of-beauty-to-a-skyscraper/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [ \[New York\] is a city largely based on great skyscrapers, and they will always be the essence of New York. That won't change, just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/new-york-is-a-city-largely-based-on-great-skyscrapers-and-they-will/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by James Howard Kunstler > [ The ideas of \[ Le Corbusier \] that actually found their way into practice were deeply destructive - for instance, the tower-in-a-park, which mutated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-ideas-of-le-corbusier-that-actually-found-their-way-into-practice/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [ “On my way out of \[Atlantic City\] at quarter after seven in the morning, a young pump jockey at the gas station \[...\] mentioned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/on-my-way-out-of-atlantic-city-at-quarter-after-seven-in-the-morning/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Ahead now, I think you'll see the big nations shrink back into their own corners of the world. 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Our failure is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/what-we-face-is-a-comprehensive-contraction-of-our-activities-due-to/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [We're living in a culture that doesn't believe in decorating buildings, or proportioning them properly. And they don't know how to do it anymore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/we-re-living-in-a-culture-that-doesn-t-believe-in-decorating/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/because-i-believe-a-lot-of-people-share-my-feelings-about-the-tragic/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [No amount or combination of alternative fuels is going to allow us to continue running what we're running, the way we're running it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/no-amount-or-combination-of-alternative-fuels-is-going-to-allow-us-to/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Everything we do these days - our lust for ever more comfort, pleasure, and distraction, our refusal to engage with the mandates of reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/everything-we-do-these-days-our-lust-for-ever-more-comfort-pleasure/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [There's a lot of wishful thinking that somehow we'll replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, but they remain far from reality. 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I just think it's a fantasy, especially considering China's energy predicament and their coal supplies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-m-not-against-kyoto-i-just-think-it-s-a-fantasy-especially/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [The American house has been TV-centered for three generations. It is the focus of family life, and the life of the house correspondingly turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-american-house-has-been-tv-centered-for-three-generations-it-is/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) [Explore all 146 James Howard Kunstler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. 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