Some say building a 1000-metre high structure would be no problem with today’s technology others think that we would need lighter, stronger materials as well as faster elevators to make this possible.With a global food crisis predicted, a group of scientists is advocating an innovative alternative to conventional farming that could radically transform the way that food is produced. The Taipei 101, at a height of 508 metres, is currently the tallest completed building in the world, but the Burj Dubai which is expected to be completed in 2008 or 2009 will be over 700 metres high.Īs the race for the world’s tallest building continues most experts have different opinions on how tall skyscrapers can become. The 452 metre high Petronas Towers in Malaysia, completed in 1996, became the first skyscraper outside the US to climb the top of the list. Other countries, mainly in the growing regions of Asia, have entered the prestigious race for the tallest structures in the world. Today the world’s tallest buildings no longer stand in America. The destruction of the World Trade Centre in the terrorist attacks of 2001 hit the heart of the city. Even though many New Yorkers did not like them at the beginning, they got used to the “Twin Towers” in the middle of Manhattan. The World Trade Centre, finished in 1973, became a symbol the city’s economic strength. The 381 metre high landmark has 102 stories and was completed in 1932. For four decades the Empire State Building in New York was the world’s highest structure. Thus, major cities, especially in America, fought for the tallest buildings in the world. Tall buildings were also seen as a symbol of power and greatness. Cities grew bigger as more and more people could live and work there.

In 1853 an elevator safe enough to carry passengers was invented by Elisha Graves Otis.ĭuring the early 20th century the construction of tall buildings became very popular in big cities. Skyscrapers would have been useless if people had to walk up and down many flights of stairs. They carry people up and down at speeds of up to 500 metres per minute. Elevators are the most important systems of a skyscraper. Electrical systems provide power and communication throughout the building and wires carry electricity to each floor. Pumps bring clean water to all parts of the skyscraper, the drainage system carries away water and waste materials.Īir conditioning and heating systems control the temperature in the building the whole year round. Although the outside structure can be completed in a few weeks it may take years to finish the whole building. Sometimes a steel core rises upwards from the inside of the building to give it better support.Ĭorridors, staircases, elevators, heating systems, air conditioning and electrical systems belong to the most important inner elements of a skyscraper. Modern buildings are able to swing a few metres in each direction, like a tree, without damaging the structure. The complete structure of the skyscraper must be finished before the inside systems can be installed.Ī skyscraper must also be able to hold off strong winds. As it moves upward other workers lay floors and hang in the outside walls. The pieces of this frame are bolted together. When the foundation is finished cranes are used to raise a steel frame up into the sky. They carry the weight of the superstructure. Then steel and concrete beams and columns are placed into it. Sometimes this foundation reaches into solid rock. First a big hole a few stories deep is dug into the earth. Both sections hold the weight of the building.Ī skyscraper needs careful planning before it can be built. Skyscrapers have two parts: the foundation is the part below the ground and the superstructure is the part above the ground.

Tens of thousands of people live and work there.

They offer space for offices, apartments, shops, hotels, restaurants and other services. They first appeared in New York and Chicago at the end of the 19th century. Skyscrapers are the world’s tallest buildings.

Skyscraper synonym