Skyscrapers and Towers

Skyscrapers and Towers — page 3 — Engineers use technology to develop innovate and create new things including buildings They also look for ways to improve technology Architects design buildings and towers They draw the plans for buildings and towers and oversee their construction Towers have existed for thousands of years The 11,000-year-old Tower of Jericho at 38 feet 8 5 meters tall is thought to be the first skyscraper in the world It was built with stone and mud The ancient Egyptians built the first towers as pyramids The pyramids were built of solid stone as tombs for their pharaohs Located in the West Bank the Tower of Jericho is one of the earliest stone monuments in history Brain Builder Imhotep was the founder of Egyptian architecture He was also a scribe writer priest and doctor He served as Pharaoh Djoser’s advisor and designed the Step Pyramid Pharaoh Djoser’s tomb was the first pyramid near modern Cairo Egypt It is called the Step Pyramid 6

Skyscrapers and Towers — page 4 — The early buildings and towers were limited by building materials Stone is heavy and it’s hard to get stone structures very high before they collapse under their own weight Building techniques improved but stairs higher than five stories were a problem Brain Builder Flying buttresses in the 1100s supported the roofs of Gothic churches so glass could be used in the walls An arch attached to the building at the roof led the weight away from the building to a column of stone which supported the weight Notre Dame in Paris is a church that uses flying buttresses for support Notre Dame in Paris has endured destruction and subsequent restoration in many periods However much of the facade and interior still are true to the original designs 7

Skyscrapers and Towers — page 5 — Modern skyscrapers are quite different from early structures They are no longer built of solid stone or mud bricks The best design and engineering techniques available are used to construct new skyscrapers and towers Elevators make taking a trip to the top a short simple ride Buildings continue to exceed extraordinary heights Currently the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai United Arab Emirates UAE Not only is Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building it has also broken two other impressive records tallest structure previously held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard North Dakota and tallest free-standing structure previously held by Toronto’s CN Tower 8

Skyscrapers and Towers — page 6 — Powerful Forces Constructing Constructing such tall structures requires a lot of planning Engineers must make sure a skyscraper will be safe for people who live and work in it They must be structurally sound and able to hold the loads or forces placed on them If not the building will collapse Forces such as wind speed gravity and the weight of the building put pressure on it These forces are the loads The dead load is the weight of the building itself This load doesn’t change 9

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