Corporate capitalism and the emergence of the high-rise office building

Although the skyscraper’s emergence has been attributed to the genius of individual architects, innovations in building technology, real estate values, and the symbolic value of tall buildings, this paper presents another, perhaps more critical reason for its emergence: demand for office space. Using Toronto, Canada as a case study, office occupancy data are examined to highlight the morphological transformation of a downtown area. The transition from entrepreneurial to corporate capitalism resulted in the proliferation of very small interdependent office establishments and the growth of large offices with several hundred employees. Both components of demand influenced size of office buildings.