The Eiffel Tower

I'm pretty sure that because the foundations in London are clay, there is a limit to how much they can support. I think New York foundations are granite, so they can support a lot more.

tuc biscuit
 
Oriel Chambers in Liverpool is quite significant too, it was the worlds first metal framed glass curtain walled building, built 19 years before the building above in 1866.
 
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriel_Chambers
 
 

Great building.  For it's time the amount of glass frontage would have been out of this world.

Omario

I'm pretty sure that because the foundations in London are clay, there is a limit to how much they can support. I think New York foundations are granite, so they can support a lot more.

Now you have said that it seems to ring a bell about the foundations needing massive pile foundations to even reach stable soil, which would explain what I seem to remember.  If it is clay the heavier the building, it could keep sinking.

Isn't Loz_86 an architect, maybe he could shed some light?

Omario


I'm pretty sure that because the foundations in London are clay, there is a limit to how much they can support. I think New York foundations are granite, so they can support a lot more.

As per my post re London and yes NY is Granite (mostly).

Personally, they should look interesting and not be a big stick, with a smaller stick on the top!

With I think no exceptions they're all designed by males and so, it has been argued, phallic in the extreme. Look at the kudos the architect gets for being 'the tallest'. 

Regarding actual design - they're limited by material limits and the effects of wind etc. If, as per the ones in Saudi, you're limited by a lack of bed rock you have a massive plinth and a thin tower. Foot print is the limiting factor in NY and clay here.

In Prague there is a replica of the Eiffel Tower that is not that tall but the top of it is the same height from sea-level as the Paris one because it is built on a hill.