Throughout human evolution, individuals and civilizations have tried to rise above their competitors. With the advent of construction, they have sought to demonstrate their superiority by building, whether it’s pyramids, amphitheatres or towers.
- Tower of Babel by Pieter Breugel
The motive is already present in the Bible: when humankind attempts to build a tower reaching to heaven (the Tower of Babel), God punishes them by causing them to speak in different tongues. Unable to communicate, their project fails dramatically.
But why do people build towers? Altogether, there are several practical and symbolic reasons. First of all, towers can have certain functions, such as a lighthouse guiding ships or towers at a house of worship from which people are invited for prayer. And obviously, towers are an excellent option to house people where space is scarce – imagine Manhattan with only two-story buildings!
- San Gimignano
Moreover, there are many symbolic reasons to build towers. By building a high tower one manifests its greatness. Such ‘phallic symbols’ appear everywhere in history. For instance, families competing for power over the Italian medieval city-states built towers to strengthen their claims. This is clearly visible in San Gimignano in Tuscany. During its heyday in the 13th century, this small town had no less than 72 towers. The Guinigi Tower in nearby Lucca tells another interesting anecdote: as a symbol of rebirth after their return to power over the city-state, the Guinigi family planted five holm oaks on top. The fact that these trees helped them to tower over other prominent families didn’t hurt either.
- Kingdom Tower (Source: ASGG)
Towers also have another value. Many people feel attached to their city, and often to the towers that symbolize them: think about Paris or London and mostly likely the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben come to mind. The Italian language even has a word for this, campanilismo or parochialism, signifying a feeling of attachment to the hometown and a sense of discomfort when out of range of the bell tower of your village.
In the modern times, the United States dominated the competition through the Empire State Building, the World Trade Centre (the huge significance of their destruction is obvious) and Chicago’s Willis Tower (the former Sears Tower). Recent high-achievers are Malaysia, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. The 828-meter Burj Khalifa (Khalif’s Tower) in Dubai currently ranks number one. In this ever continuing battle, the sky is not, however, the limit. Recently, Saudi Arabia released plans to build the first tower breaking the limit of one kilometre. The Kingdom Tower is to be built in Jeddah. At this pace, the dream of Babel, to build a tower to heaven, is getting closer and closer.
Even on a smaller scale, a tower is a fascinating phenomenon. Let’s finish off with Tom Wujec, who discusses one of the fundamental problems of current society: how to build a tower with spaghetti and marshmellows? As you’ll see, this is a true test to group dynamics.
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