It is gratifying for ambitious Asians to examine the FT's new masthead on the page opposite. The five tallest buildings in the engraving, and in the similar promotional montage on the FT.com website, are iconic landmarks in the Asian cities of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei.

Less gratifying is the fact that Asia's obsession with height is not matched by an interest in the energy efficiency of its awe-inspiring skyscrapers. Environmental issues - global warming, air pollution, wind power and hybrid cars - are almost as much discussed in Asia as they are in Europe or the Americas, but the related if unsexy subject of building standards merits hardly a murmur.