Scottish Widows HQ, Edinburgh

Atlantic Quay, Glasgow

Mori Tower, Shanghai

The Mori Tower, Shanghai’s World Finance Centre was designed to become the tallest building in the world. It is a commercial office block which reflects the huge financial industry which South East Asia has developed. Despite the terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre, there is still a demand for huge skyscrapers, perhaps because they symbolise wealth and economic power. The Mori Tower is currently under construction and the earliest it may be completed is 2006. Over recent years growth in Asian economies has slowed down and it is possible that this building may never be occupied.

Building speculatively is common and buildings sometimes have to change function completely before they can be used. In Glasgow, the (new) Buchanan Galleries shopping centre is designed to make money – the main reason for building a shop is the prospect of making money from it.

What happens to shops if they don’t make money?
What about offices?
Are they built for the same reasons?
What other buildings are principally used for making money?
What types of building can be found in where you live which are used only for financial purposes? What buildings are rarely or never used for making money?
How does the architecture differ?

Take a look at some shops and offices.
What is a shop?
What are the unique features of a shop that would not be found in a house or an office?