Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Florencia Ucha, in Jul. 2013
The term skyscraper is the one most popularly used in our language to refer to those buildings that stand out for their great height, composed of many floors, that is, a skyscraper is a building hyper high, which will stand out among its contiguous ones precisely because of the great height it has.
Very tall building that has many floors and that stands in the great metropolises of the world
Usually and traditionally, skyscrapers have been located in metropolises, that is, in large cities, there are no skyscrapers in suburban or rural areas.
Let's say it's more of a scenery typical of the big city, and it is unthinkable to see such imposing buildings in a field.
Commercial use and tourist attraction
In the skyscrapers people continually pass by since many of them are intended for commercial or office use, and also, for their Height are usually great tourist attractions, and then the parade of tourists who want to enter and reach the top of they.
Generally, on the top floor of the skyscrapers there are viewpoints from where one can observe the city above and obtain a unique and fantastic panorama of said city by being able to appreciate it almost complete.
Although there is no single measure, a building that exceeds three hundred meters in height will be considered a skyscraper.
Some of the reasons why these huge buildings have been erected were economic, with the mission of getting the most out of the land of those places where the square meter has very high values, and also that of being able to group in the same building all the employees of a mega company to win in efficiency.
Although, there have been promotional motivations as well, since having a skyscraper in the city, undoubtedly, attracts the gaze of locals and others.
Nations such as New York, Dubai, Chicago and Hong Kong are among the most recognized in the world when it comes to finding skyscrapers on their horizons.
Americans, their pioneers
Meanwhile, the lead in construction is owed to Americans, especially in the cities of New York and Chicago.
Symbol of modernity and the reason for progress in construction
The buildings of the skyscrapers gave these and the rest of the cities a modern look and obviously marked the design of the last century, that is, the skyscraper is undoubtedly a symbol of modernity...
Meanwhile, the fundamental element that skyscrapers have and that without it would be impossible, or at least tiring to transit them, is the elevator.
But added to the elevator we cannot ignore other advances that have also contributed their bit in this In this sense, such is the case of reinforced concrete, glass, and hydraulic pump in the structural plane, all elements and resources that have facilitated increasing the height of the buildings and that without them the feat would not have been possible.
We cannot ignore either that in the beginning the skyscrapers were resisted in the cities where they were most settled, such is the case of Chicago, London and New York, because they were considered aesthetically unpleasant since they marked a strong contrast with the lower buildings of those times, and on the other hand there were a lot uncertainty regarding the safety that they held, for example in the event of a fire, the possibility of being able to evacuate them quickly.
It should be noted that this last issue was quickly resolved with special fire retardant designs.
Empire State, an emblem
There are many skyscrapers in the world, and especially in those large cities that we were talking about but without a doubt one of the most emblematic and legendary is the Empire State located in one of the great cities of the world such as New York City, in the United States. United.
The Empire State Building is located on famous Fifth Avenue and West 34th. Street.
And it was the tallest building for more than four decades, between 1931 and 1972, when the construction of the North tower of the World Trade Center, sadly attacked by Al Qaeda in the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001.
It was declared one of the seven wonders of the modern world and in the eighties as monument historical.
Dubai, a new center of skyscrapers
Currently, the city of Dubai has become the epicenter of the most imposing skyscrapers, including the Burj Khalifa, considered the highest in the world, at 828 meters high.
Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2010, the year in which it was also inaugurated.
The real estate company Emaar Properties is its owner.
And the American architect Adrián Smith is its main maker.
Skyscraper themes