Who invented skyscrapers

Whether these are still true today depends on where you look. It was the understanding and advancements of building with steel and iron that allowed for skyscrapers to be born.

More specifically, it was the Bessemer Process of mass steel bean production that truly made way for skyscrapers. Now that high-quality iron beams could be produced quicker and at a lower cost, all bets were off. As skyscrapers became more possible and the first one was actually built city planners, architects and engineers were fascinated by the ability to fit more people into smaller spaces, to provide more housing — ideally — at a lower price.

The very first skyscraper was built in in Chicago, Illinois. It was a story home insurance building designed by William LeBaron Jenney. A fire had decimated Chicago in which led to mass construction in the city in general. They were hoping to rebuild the city to set it up for economic growth and revitalization. They wanted it to act as a leading example of new construction trends featuring stone, iron, and steel instead of wood and bricks.

The building also featured other modern applications such as safe elevators and plumbing. Stretching feet in the air, the project was actually halted by city authorities because they were worried it would fall over.

Authorities conducted a number of safety inspections and tests before allowing the project to continue. Two more floors were added to the building in In fact, the classification of the term has transitioned since the s.

At the time, a skyscraper had to have at least 10 floors. As technology advanced during the 20th century, this classification was too attainable. Today, a building must have over 40 floors, be taller than meters feet and be free-standing without any support or tension wires in order to be called a skyscraper. Skyscrapers grew in popularity mainly because of mass migration to urban areas.

City centers are appealing to live in because of accessibility, being in close proximity to events, restaurants, shops and having access to transportation hubs. Although they were first used as office spaces in city centers, they have become more and more popular as a housing option as well.

Ideally, the concept of fitting more people into a smaller piece of land and building upwards would have created lower buying or renting prices. Tall buildings also needed ventilation systems to heat them in the winter and cool them in the summer. The early ventilation systems, introduced in the s, used steam-powered fans to move air through ducts. After , fans were driven by electricity. Steam heating using radiators was widely used by Plumbing to circulate water through the building relied on pressure using electric pumps.

Roosevelt attended the dedication of the story, 1, high building. Erected in just 13 months, the building grew at a rate of more than a story a day, while constructed workers toiled on girders a fifth of a mile above the ground. The building would remain the world's tallest for forty years, before it was overtaken by the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center. When the Empire State Building opened in the midst of the Depression, only 28 percent of the office space was rented. List of Partners vendors.

Share Flipboard Email. Mary Bellis. Inventions Expert. Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years.

She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Alexander Graham Bell. Updated January 10, History of Skyscrapers A skyscraper is a tall commercial building with an iron or steel framework. They were made possible as a result of the Bessemer process of mass production of steel beams. The first modern skyscraper was created in —the story Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Early extant skyscrapers include the Wainwright Building in St.

Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Bellis, Mary. The First Skyscrapers. Skyscraper Photos of Historic Buildings. Overview of the Second Industrial Revolution. The Skyscraper, the Tallest Buildings in the World. Cities With Great Architecture. Modern Architecture and Its Variations.