Japan needs to stop building skyscrapers after the March earthquake traumatized office workers and residents in tall buildings, said billionaire Akira Mori, the president of Mori Trust Co to news agency Bloomberg. Mori, Japan's third-richest person, said the government should consider setting a standard height for new buildings at about 100 meters, a level for so-called base- isolation systems that shift and reduce the energy of quakes to work best. An increase in tenants' preference for office space on lower floors may also make taller buildings less attractive, he said. Developers such as Mitsui Fudosan Co., Japan's largest real estate company, have been erecting taller buildings and reclaiming land to utilize space in Tokyo since the postwar economic boom gathered pace in the late 1960s. That led to so- called pencil buildings, which sit on a small plot of land disproportionate to the building's height. "Instead of constructing pencil buildings, it's better to jointly work with other real estate owners and developers to redevelopment larger projects," said Mori. "That way, we can increase the value of real estate." The Landmark Tower in Yokohama, a city south of Tokyo, is Japan's tallest building at 296 meters and 58th in the world, according to the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The 73-story building was developed by Mitsubishi Estate Co., the nation's second-biggest developer, and completed in 1993. The tallest building in central Tokyo, which includes the city's five main wards, is the 248-meter Midtown Tower built by Mitsui Fudosan. The Tokyo Sky Tree, a broadcasting tower, will be the tallest structure in Japan at 634 meters when it is completed in December. Tokyo suffered little damage to its buildings in the March 11 magnitude-9 earthquake, Japan's strongest. The nation has two magnitude-6.8 or larger earthquakes on average a year, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Even so, about 30 percent of 2,568 buildings in Japan are higher than 100 meters, or about 20 to 25 stories tall, according to estimates from Architectural Institute of Japan.

Paris unveiled the latest giant to grace its famous skyline, with the formal inauguration of France's tallest skyscraper, known as the "First Tower". At 21,000 tonnes, the First is more than twice as heavy as the French capital's tallest and most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower, which nevertheless beats it for sheer height at 324 meters. The spire was born when developers stripped down and rebuilt the mighty Axa block in La Defense business quarter on the western edge of the city, adding 69 metres to send it soaring to 231 metres. Now, the tower tops the city's previous famously unloved tallest office block, the slab-like Tour de Montparnasse, which looms over the Left Bank at 210 metres tall. But, despite the triumph of its architecture, First has so far not proved a hit with tenants: Only half of its office space, 80,000 square metres spread over 52 floors, has so far been allocated. Building on the 300 million euro ($ 440 million) tower began in 2008. The first tenant, accountancy giant Ernst and Young, will move in during the second half of the year. But the highest tower title The First can lose in 2016. Government has issued a permit for construction of the Phare Tower (Lighthouse Tower) with 300 meters high also in region La Defense, which is scheduled to open in 2016.

World's highest hotel Ritz-Carlton opened in Hong-Kong. The hotel housed in International Commerce Centre, city's tallest skyscraper and offering unrivalled panoramic views of the world famous Victoria Harbor. With 312 guest rooms, the hotel is situated on 102-118 floors. Inside, the Ritz-Carlton Hong- Kong exudes a chic, modern vibe in the restaurants and lobby areas, with a lot of sparkling decor and chandeliers, the main color themes being black, brown and beige. Visitors can expect to find facilities that include the highest bar in the world, and a top-floor pool that will feature a 19-metre ceiling-mounted LCD screen which swimmers can watch while enjoying the warmth of the heated water. The Ritz-Carlton will also be one of the most expensive places to stay in a city already packed with luxury hotels, with the rack rate starting at $770 a night for a deluxe room. A presidential suite price is reaching for $ 12.8 thousand. According to hotel management, they are taking luxury to new heights in every sense. As reported by experts, clients aren't happy living at extreme height, but Hong-Kong's hotel owners don't have other choice. The land is very expensive, so it is more profitable to build super high skyscrapers, than low-rise buildings. The highest hotel in the world was Park Hyatt so far, which is situated on 79-93 floors of Shanghai World Financial Center. But the highest hotel title Ritz-Carlton can lose in 2014, when the J-Hotel opens near the top of the 632 meter Shanghai Tower in mainland China. Watch Hotel PhotoTour

US and Britain property developers leave the "Vanity Fair". The world's leading developers are sacrificing height and glitz for better returns. "The age of bling is over," said Ken Shuttleworth, famous British architect (from Norman Foster). "Money now drives everything, so if you can build something for half the price, you will," he said. Construction of several skyscrapers in the City, will be completed, but they may be the last. Commercial Estates Group Ltd. and Hammerson Plc last month said that they will review a plan to build a 63-story building. Instead of it appears quite compact, 32-storey building. "A tall building was proving very expensive, so we went back to the drawing board", said Martin Jepson, Hammerson's managing director for London. Developers in New-York also change their plans. One World Trade Center, which will be the western hemisphere's tallest tower when it opens in 2013, is one of several skyscrapers that may be built by the end of the decade in New-York. Decrease of tendency explains with high costs of skyscrapers. In London, high-rise buildings cost 50 pounds to 150 pounds more per square foot than shorter ones. That means the money needed to construct a skyscraper with 500,000 square feet (46,000 square meters) of space can be 150 million pounds, twice as much as a lower-rise structure with the same space. Such difference is explained by the fact that high-rise construction requires special engineering solutions, including the development of a powerful frame, and often unusual architectural techniques. Tall buildings are also less attractive to investors than shorter ones because tenants can't start moving in until the construction work is over. So it takes a very long time to get the first money from your investment. But large-scale architectural projects are not everywhere losing out. Skyscrapers boom reaches end, but only in certain parts of the world. Now they support the most functional and "green " projects. However, in Asia, which shows a steady increase in GDP, in the next 20 years will be dominated by the idea that the building should be high and attractive. So, the architects will continue to design skyscrapers, but now in China, India or Arab states.

All buildings in Dubai, including world highest skyscraper Burj Khalifa will receive a Quick Response Code. The QR Code is a two-dimensional code (or matrix code) that includes all detailed information about the building. This QR Code will enable officials, landlords and the public easy electronic access to rightfully authorised data and services of the municipality and other government departments of the city. Besides general information about the building-owners, landlords, the plan and the area, QR Code in case of fire will help a user to get the details of the exact location of the building and access the service of the civil defense immediately. By using camera phones with QR Code reader, that support barcode scanners, and scanning the codes, users can receive latest information about inspection visits, as well as violations and fines. This project is vital for Dubai, as there were no addresses there, all the streets weren't named and the buildings didn't have numbers either-they can be learned by official documents only. The Digital City project is also a part of the "Zero Visit" initiative of the municipality that aims at boosting its e-services to the optimum level so that customers will not be required to visit the DM centers for availing services and conducting transactions. QR Code is a two-dimensional code, developed by Japanese Denso-Wave company. These QR Codes contain various information, consisting black modules in a square pattern on a white background or including text, numbers, pictures and colors. Dubai will be the second city after New York to introduce QR Codes for building permit services.