TransAmerica Pyramid

A lot of protest came from the citizens of San Francisco when the plans for the new buildings of the Transamerica Company were unveiled in 1969. Most people claimed that the pyramid-shaped skyscraper wouldn't fit in the city.

According to the architect, William L. Pereira, the pyramid is the ideal shape for skyscrapers, offering the practical advantage of letting more air and light in the adjacent streets. The building would be a statement of architectural sculpture. In the end, he turned out right. If you look at the Transamerica Pyramid now, it looks like it was made to be built in San Francisco.

From an economical point of view, a pyramid is not an efficient structure in terms of surface, but it was a way for the architect to get around the strict building laws that imposed a certain ratio between the building's surface and its height.

The Pyramid was finished in 1972 and having a height of 260 meters, towers over the rest of the city. It has 48 floors with a 64 meters high spire on top, covered with aluminum panels.