Atlanta's skyline is punctuated with highrise and midrise buildings of modern and postmodern vintage.



Its tallest landmark - the Bank of America Plaza - is the 42nd-tallest building in the world at 1,023 feet (312 m). Unlike many other Southern cities, Atlanta chose not to retain its historic Old South architectural characteristics. Instead, Atlanta viewed itself as the leading city of a progressive "New South" and opted for expressive modern structures. Atlanta's skyline includes works by most major U.S. firms and some of the more prominent architects of the 20th century, including Michael Graves, Richard Meier, Marcel Breuer, Renzo Piano, Pickard Chilton, and locally based internationally known Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam Architects.