Design and Construction - The Skyscraper Center (Centramic)

Skyscraper

 The design and construction of skyscraper imply the creation of safe and habitable spaces in very tall buildings. Buildings must support their weight, resist wind and earthquakes, and protect occupants from fire. However, they must also be accessible, even on the upper floors, and provide public services and a comfortable climate for the occupants. The problems raised in the design of skyscrapers are considered among the most complex found given the required balances between economics, engineering and construction management.

A common feature of skyscrapers is a steel frame from which curtain walls are suspended, instead of conventionally constructed load-bearing walls. Most skyscrapers have a steel frame that allows them to be taller than typically reinforced concrete loading walls. Skyscrapers usually have a particularly small surface area that is conventionally considered walls. Because the walls do not support a load, most of the skyscrapers are characterized by window surfaces that are possible thanks to the concept of steel structure and curtain wall. However, skyscrapers may also have curtain walls that mimic conventional walls and have a small window area.

The concept of skyscrapers is a product of the industrialized era, made possible by the energy derived from cheap fossil fuel and industrially refined raw materials such as steel and concrete. The construction of skyscrapers was possible thanks to the steel structure that surpassed the construction of brick and mortar in the late nineteenth century and finally exceeded in the twentieth century along with the construction of reinforced concrete to reduce the price of steel and increase labor costs.

Steel frames become inefficient and uneconomic for high-rise buildings since the usable floor space is reduced for progressively larger support columns. Since about 1960, tubular designs have been used for tall buildings. This reduces the use of material (more efficient in economic terms - Willis Tower uses a third less steel than the Empire State Building) but allows a greater height. It allows less interior columns and thus creates more usable floor space. In addition, it allows buildings to take different forms.

The elevators are characteristic of skyscrapers. In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator, which allows convenient and safe movement of passengers to the upper floors. Another crucial development was the use of a steel structure instead of stone or brick, otherwise, the walls of the lower floors of a tall building would be too thick to be practical. Currently, the main elevator manufacturers include Otis, ThyssenKrupp, Schindler, and KONE.

Advances in construction techniques have allowed skyscrapers to narrow in width while increasing in height. Some of these new techniques include mass dampers to reduce vibrations and rolling, and spaces to allow air passage, reducing wind shear in the tallest buildings.