A Short Story of Tall

Buildings
- Summary -

Summary
Since old times, the humans were always trying to reach the sky, a basic human
urge to get closer to God. One of the first Tall Buildings constructed were the Pyramids,
and The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest building for over 4,000 years. It stayed that
way until the Eiffel Tower was build. The story began with the invention of the safety
elevator. Elisha Graves Otiss invention not only guaranteed the life of others but also
gave birth to the modern city. Tall buildings became not only as another work of
architecture or fits of engineering, but symbols of power, invested with meaning.
In 2001 September 11 the relationship with Tall Buildings changed. The terrorist
attack to the World Trade Center complex in New York showed that the Tall Buildings
were easy targets. The World Trade Center was chosen because it was taller than
anything else in New York, because it represented Americas Economic Power to the
world. What before was considered as the strongest became the most vulnerable. The
main point became safety and viability.
Skyscraper are culture icons, landmarks, a way of giving power and presence.
Using steel in the structure allowed the buildings to go up, as higher as it could. The
Reliance Building was an early skyscraper and the first to use large plate glass windows.
The Flatiron Building in New York was the first celebrity skyscraper and one of the first
in the city to be supported by a steel cage. We can say that skyscrapers are machines
that produce capital, the commodity of space. The Chicago architecture Luis Sullivan,
considered the father of skyscraper, determined that all tall buildings should suit their
function and somehow express their tallness. In their search for identity, Americans
architectures based their design in the European architecture borrowing Palladian Villas,
Greek Temples, Gothic Cathedrals and others.
The Woolworth Building was designed based on gothic style because the owner
was an admiral of the The Big Bang. It was the tallest building when it was constructed
and it remained this as it until the construction of 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building.
The observation deck on the top of the building attracted many visitors and was one of
the main attractions at that time.

As more buildings were constructed, New York was becoming a place of darkness
due to the unplanned development. That is why the 1916 Zoning Resolution was created.
It was a measure to stop massive buildings from preventing light and air from reaching
the streets bellow. The city was divided in many districts according to the allowed height
but significantly, the new law put no restriction in overall height making the sky the limit.
The zoning law incentivized the developers to push the projects to the maximum volume
allowable under the law. Hugh Ferris was a delineator that helped to imagine that volumes.
In Chicago, the city was dressing its commercial properties in a trapping of the past
for the respectability it seemed to guarantee. The Tribune Tower made the biggest
architectural competition at the time. The newspaper was boosting itself and the city of
Chicago at the same time. The winner design was from John Mead Howells and Raymond
M. Hood. However, the second place that was designed by Eliel Saarinen was much more
influential on the shape of skyscrapers to come. The Tribune Tower competition was
important because it broke the ideas of the European modern movement into the public
arena and it stopped the fight in international debate about what a truly modern building
might look like.
In New York, The Chrysler Building and The Bank of Manhattan Trust were
competing in height, and in the end both of them made secrets adjustments. The Chrysler
Building remained as the tallest building in the world for only 10 months being surpassed
by the Empire State Building. The Empire State was one of the last skyscraper to be
completed in New York before the Great Depression. However, due to the crisis, there
was a collapse in the demand for office space, and the building become known as The
Empty Building. With the help of the film King Kong, the building became known and
broke office records.
Even with the zoning law in New York, The Lever Building was allowed to be built
in the form of vertical slab because the setbacks were not required for buildings that
occupied 25% or less of its lot.
After the war, London was re-designed by the LCC (London County Council
Architects) as a way to give hope and motivation to the people. Speedy was necessary
to re-house the nation so the main structural material was pre cast concrete. As a way to
develop the city and attract people, they constructed many glasses steel boxes. London
was experiencing the biggest property boom.

The Hancock building is one of the tallest residential building in the world. As
buildings get taller the winds forces become more significant. The Hancock uses a
diagonal cross braces against the wind. A structural revolution was going on, advances
in computer power, improvements in steel and welding techniques all increased the
efficiency of the structure. Moreover, not paying for unnecessary steel made taller
buildings economic viable.
China was the worlds fastest growing economy, and Hong Kong is a dynamic
powerhouse. Due to the limited area, the cities had to grow higher. With a limited budget,
they had to develop new techniques. The designs are influenced by the Feng Shui, they
believe that using that they can produce different types of energy in the buildings.
Because of the high density population, the Hong Kong housing authorities are
committed to making it work, they study everything, since light to the quality of air, to
perform better. As a way to attract people, they invested in the night view of the buildings.
In Shanghai, the skyscrapers are used to announce that the city has arrived to the
modern world. There is allowed by the government 24 hours construction making the
citys landscape change continuously.
In Dubai, due to petroleum exploration, the city is investing in skyscrapers as a
way to attract people and promoting the city. There is the highest building in the world,
Burj Khalifa.