WHAT IS A SKYSCRAPER A skyscraper is a very tall building You might think that any very tall structure is a skyscraper But that is not true Skyscrapers have certain features A skyscraper has to have many stories It must also have walls so people can live or work inside it Tall structures such as monuments or water towers are not skyscrapers A skyscraper also has to be taller than the buildings near it so it stands out NOT A SKYSCRAPER SKYSCRAPER
HOME INSURANCE BUILDING People started building skyscrapers in the 1880s The first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago Illinois It opened in 1885 and was ten stories tall That is not very tall for a building now But at the time there were few buildings that tall Then people kept building taller and taller buildings Today's skyscrapers are at least 40 stories tall Some have more than 100 stories BURJ KHALIFA The tallest building in the world was completed in 2010 It is the Burj Khalifa in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates The Burj Khalifa has 163 stories It is 2 717 feet 828 m tall This skyscraper has hotel rooms apartments offices and restaurants
HOW PEOPLE USE SKYSCRAPERS Skyscrapers have three main uses These are manufacturing business and housing Some skyscrapers have more than one of these uses MANUFACTURING Many of the first skyscrapers helped increase manufacturing These buildings were factories and warehouses They had more room for the machines and supplies needed to produce goods There was also more room to store the finished products This meant that more goods could be produced
BUSINESS Skyscrapers helped businesses grow Companies could provide offices for many employees in one building This was easier than buying or building additional office buildings as a company grew HOUSING Hotels and apartments are common uses for skyscrapers These buildings can house many people on a small plot of land In cities this helps more people live closer to where their jobs are
