Skycrapers and the Vertical Envelope

"The current mania for flamboyant skyscrapers has been a mixed blessing for architecture. While it has yielded a stunning outburst of creativity, it has also created an atmosphere in which novelty is often prized over innovation. At times it’s as if the architects were dog owners proudly parading their poodles in front of a frivolous audience". 

Nicolai Ouroussoff, ‘Towers Will Change the Look of Two World Cities’ in The New York Times, December 4th, 2006.

This quote was taken from the 41st footnote regarding Zaera's fourth envelope type, the vertical envelope.

When we think of skyscrapers I doubt any of us immediately picture an interior view, we all think of a view from the skyline. We picture a large structure soaring above our heads into the clouds. I found the quote above very interesting because when you think about it, skyscrapers are the biggest supporters for the architectural focus to be on facades. Whether you agree that the focus should be there or not, the skyscraper demands its focus to be on it's exterior. For many years now "starchitects" and architects alike have been falling over themselves for the chance to design a skyscraper. And now with so many of them being built we have lost the individuality that made skyscrapers so unique in the first place. They are now just a way for architects to show off. 

What if there was a way to reverse the idea of the skyscraper and create multi-story buildings that were just as appealing on the inside as they are on the outside? You would start to lose the separation between the outside and inside and create a "facade" that would be intriguing not only to the people outside but to the people inhabiting the building as well.