Recommendation points
The second obstacle to increasing the height of buildings was construction technology. Initially, the growing weight of the house fell on the load-bearing walls, the thickness of which had to be increased by the builders. This approach made construction too expensive, time-consuming and limited the number of floors possible..
In the 70-80s of the 19th century, a new technology of frame construction was developed, which was implemented thanks to innovative developments in the production of steel and reinforced concrete. In the case of the construction of a multi-storey building on a metal frame, it is on it that the main load falls, and the thickness of the walls is no longer a significant condition.
Chicago is considered the birthplace of skyscrapers – after a fire in 1871, many administrative buildings were destroyed in the city center, and the construction of new houses, which rose sharply in height, began in the vacant place. The first skyscraper on the planet was the building of the Insurance Society, which rose only 10 stories in height in downtown Chicago in 1885. The main difference between the first “high-rise” is the use of frame technology, and although the house existed only until 1931, it is rightfully a pioneer in the field of high-rise construction.
Already in 1891, a skyscraper with a height of 11 floors appeared in St. Louis, and then New York took over the baton, which became a real city of skyscrapers..
It is interesting that in Europe and Russia at that time they were very skeptical about such a “race” in the number of floors and the United States for a long time remained the only country whose city streets were quickly built up with skyscrapers.
The expansion of high-rise multi-storey buildings was halted by the global crisis that overtook the US economy in 1929 and was called the Great Depression. The massive construction of “skyscrapers” was resumed in America only after the Second World War, at the same time skyscrapers began to appear en masse in the war-torn European cities, and the “Who is taller” competition continued already in the 70s of the 20th century.
The first skyscraper in Europe – Boerentower – appeared in 1932, in Antwerp, Belgium. The height of the building was only 87.5 meters, the number of floors – 25. Residents nicknamed the skyscraper “Farm Tower”, as the building housed the offices of agricultural companies. In the 1960s, the “skyscraper” was intended to be demolished, but then the rarity was reconstructed, its height increased to 97 meters.
The financial center of Germany – Frankfurt am Main – has become the most “high-rise” city in Europe, but has not managed to catch up with New York. Then the leadership in the number of skyscrapers was seized by the countries of Asia and the Middle East, which were experiencing an economic boom..
Today Europe lags behind America and Asia in the number of skyscrapers. However, the historical appearance of ancient European cities does not fit well with slender but too industrial multi-storey towers.
Architecture and technology
The first multi-storey buildings that appeared on the streets of New York, Chicago and other American cities in the 20-30s of the last century were distinguished by a much more elaborate architectural appearance than modern skyscrapers. Initially, “skyscrapers” were most often erected in the Gothic style, and only in the middle of the last century did they take on the now familiar look, which experts call “pure geometry”. One of the last skyscrapers built in the Gothic style were the “Stalinist skyscrapers” that appeared in Moscow after the war – they were very similar to their “American counterparts” built at the beginning of the century.
Brandon Mcvittie. The skyscraper
Today skyscrapers can have almost any shape – square, rectangular, oval, round high-rise buildings appear all over the world. The latest trends also influence the appearance of skyscrapers. For example, it has already become traditional to use solar panels as an external decoration of the walls of buildings, which makes it possible to solve the problem of energy supply for high-rise buildings. And in some skyscrapers even wind farms are installed, so that the blades of the “wind turbines” also become an element of the building’s appearance..
Particularly stringent requirements are put forward for the safety of skyscrapers, for example, all of them must be equipped with a helipad, which will allow people to evacuate in the event of a fire, a special ventilation system is also provided, the use of fire-fighting building materials.
Most often, metal-reinforced concrete is used as a bearing support in the construction of skyscrapers – a metal frame, which accounts for two-thirds of the load, is surrounded by a metal rod “shell” made of a high-grade concrete frame that supports the remaining third of the building’s mass.
During construction, special equipment is also used. So, ordinary cranes, of course, are not able to rise to such a height and for the construction of skyscrapers special lifts are used, which are attached to the already built floors of the “high-rise” and, as it were, “creep” upward along with the new floors.
The tallest skyscrapers in the world
Today, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai confidently holds the palm, rising to a dizzying height of 828 meters. This is not only the tallest building on the planet, it is taller than all the super-tall structures in the world – TV towers, masts and industrial pipes. In a building whose construction was completed in 2010, 163 floors, the complex is positioned as a real “city within a city” with its green areas, residential premises, office and shopping centers.
The construction of the skyscraper, which has an unusual stalagmite shape, took 6 years; American Adrian Smith became its architect.
Burd Khalifa is the tallest skyscraper in the world
The second tallest tower is Taipei 101, which is located in the capital of Taiwan – Taipei. The height of this skyscraper is significantly less than its competitor from Dubai – “only” 508 meters. The number of floors is 106 (of which 5 are underground). Construction of the building began in 1999 and was completed with a grand opening ceremony on the last day of 2004.
The peculiarity of Taipei 101 is an unusual stepped shape, the creators of the project sought to harmoniously combine modern technologies with the traditions of ancient Chinese architecture. To maintain the balance between the 87th and 91st floors, a pendulum weighing 660 tons is placed. Experts promise that such a counterweight will allow the skyscraper to withstand significant fluctuations for 2.5 thousand years! The building, made of steel, glass and lightweight aluminum, is also supported by 380 concrete supports extending 80 meters into the ground..
The skyscraper houses a shopping center, hundreds of shops, clubs and restaurants.
Taipei 101
The third place in the list of the tallest skyscrapers in the world today is the Shanghai World Financial Center. Its construction was completed in 2008, the building rises up to 492 meters, the number of floors is 101.
A feature of the building is a huge trapezoidal “window” on the upper floors, which is designed to reduce air resistance. The construction of the Shanghai World Financial Center took 10 years, initially the developers planned to install a spire on the building to break the Taipei 101 record, but then abandoned this idea.
Shanghai World Financial Center
In fourth place are two “twin towers” at once – the Petronas skyscrapers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The height of each of them is 452 meters. It is interesting that Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, personally took part in the creation of the skyscraper project, who insisted that the buildings be erected in the “Islamic” style. That is why the “skyscrapers” are two eight-pointed stars, and the semicircular ledges were added by the architect for stability. Construction was carried out from 1992 to 1998, the towers are connected by a covered bridge, which provides greater fire safety. In addition to office centers, including those belonging to the oil and gas company Petronas, the buildings contain conference rooms and an art gallery.
Petronas Towers
Another Chinese skyscraper is also distinguished by its unusual shape, whose height of 450 meters allowed it to take the fifth place in the list of super-tall towers. The financial center of Nanjing Greenland is located in the city of Nanjing, in addition to the offices of numerous companies, there are hundreds of shops, several cafes and restaurants.
The construction of the Xuanwu Lake building was completed in 2009, the skyscraper is known for an amazing view of two lakes, the Yangtze River and the Ningzheng Mountain, which opens from its observation deck located on the 72nd floor..
Nanjing Greenland Financial Center
As you can see, the leaders of the rating are skyscrapers of Asian states. The tallest skyscraper in the United States – Willis Tower – with a height of 442 meters, was able to take only the sixth line in the list of record-holders in height. However, the building was built in Chicago back in 1973 and for 25 held the palm, ahead of the World Trade Center towers in New York.
Willis tower
The tallest building in Moscow is Tower Moscow, which is part of the City of Capitals complex. The height of the Moscow skyscraper, built in 2009, is 301 meters; the 76-storey building houses residential apartments and a business center. By the way, at present “Tower Moscow” has also become the tallest building in Europe and the CIS countries..
Tower Moscow, “City of Capitals”
Among other, not so tall, but outstanding skyscrapers, it is worth noting the most famous tower in the world – the Empire State Building in New York. This 102-storey, 381-meter high skyscraper was built in 1931 and for a long time remained the tallest building in the world. This “skyscraper” can be called a real symbol of New York.
Empire State Building
And the most notorious skyscrapers, of course, were destroyed on September 11, 2001, New York’s “Twin Towers” – the buildings of the World Trade Center.
World trade center
Perspectives
The construction of even an ordinary, not ultra-tall skyscraper costs the developer at least $ 80 million. And in the case of the construction of record holders in height, it can reach 700-800 million dollars. Expensive surveys begin even before the start of construction – the development, thorough verification and approval of the project of the future building, in which only highly qualified engineers and architects take part, the study of the site of the proposed construction, taking into account the “wind loads”, soil features, seismological conditions in the area require significant costs.
Then even more significant costs begin for laying the most durable foundation, operation and maintenance of construction equipment, as well as remuneration of thousands of workers..
And yet, the construction of high-rise buildings, the number of floors of which has long been reaching 100, is a promising direction in urban development. The ability to locate a huge amount of residential and commercial space on a relatively small plot of land makes the construction of skyscrapers very attractive for developers.
What are some of the main reasons behind the constant push for building higher and higher skyscrapers in modern times? How does this trend impact architectural design, urban planning, and the overall dynamics of cities?