A building hundreds of stories high is always an amazing design that looks prestigious and respectable. How are skyscrapers built and why do they do it? The expediency of such decisions comes from the rapid growth of the population of the largest megacities of the planet. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to develop a project for a building with a height of more than a hundred meters. Such a structure should be not only functional, but also safe. That is why today, for the implementation of such projects, they resort to the use of the most innovative technologies.
What is the technology of building skyscrapers? Which buildings are the tallest today? What innovations in the construction of skyscrapers are being used recently? We will try to answer these and other questions in our material.
Selection of a construction site
How are skyscrapers built? Site selection plays a critical role in project implementation.for placement of structures. Skyscrapers put much more pressure on the ground than standard residential buildings. It is for this reason that skyscrapers stand only on dense soil, which does not contain cavities, heterogeneous masses and water deposits. Buildings of impressive height contain a massive underground part invisible to the eyes of the layman. Obviously, laying complex foundation structures requires careful analysis of the nature of the soil.
Walls and load-bearing structures
Modern skyscrapers cannot be built with bricks or concrete slabs. Constructions of this kind would inevitably be destroyed soon due to instability under the influence of natural factors.
As a rule, in the construction of skyscrapers, they resort to the use of load-bearing, composite steel structures. Monolithic reinforced concrete of the highest level of strength is used as a material for all kinds of floors.
Layout
The interior of skyscrapers is fundamentally different from urban housing. The main focus here is on fire safety. After all, it is extremely problematic to evacuate people from a building tens of floors high in the event of an emergency. Therefore, the interior space of skyscrapers is separated by special fire barriers. At the same time, one backup elevator in the building always remains connected to uninterrupted power supply.
The newest skyscrapers are planned so that in emergency situations people can take shelter on technical floors that are usually idleempty. At the same time, all entrances to the premises are most often equipped with double doors. They implement this in order to prevent drafts, which supply the flame with oxygen during fires.
Life support
Skyscrapers are usually equipped with systems that provide economical energy consumption. Many modern buildings have solar panels. Productive pumps are responsible for water supply, which are installed every 10-15 floors. It is simply impossible to pump water hundreds of meters into the air in any other way. Well, it is impossible not to mention the autonomous air conditioning systems.
Project Costs
How much does it cost to build a skyscraper? Not so long ago, Japanese engineers announced that they plan to build a structure called "Fuji", the height of which will reach an unimaginable 4 kilometers. The project of the building assumes the presence of as many as 800 floors. The finished building should accommodate about one million people. Solar panels will be used to provide the building with electricity. What is the cost of the project implementation? According to experts, the construction of "Fuji" will cost Japan between 300 and 900 billion dollars.
As for the tallest building in existence, that is the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates. Its height reaches 828 meters. The cost of such a skyscraper reaches about 20 billion dollars.
The next highest skyscraper is the Shanghai Tower, the construction of whichended in 2015, cost its creators only 1.7 billion. The height of this building is 632 meters.
The tallest skyscraper in the world
In 2010, one of the most impressive buildings in history was inaugurated in the city of Dubai (UAE). The tallest skyscraper in the world (828 meters) is called the Burj Khalifa. The presentation of the tower was a pompous event. Thousands of onlookers gathered around the huge building. The ceremony was broadcast all over the world. A record 2 billion viewers simultaneously watched the action on TV.
The project took 5 years to complete. In the course of the work, the plans of the Arab sheikhs, who were responsible for financing, changed several times. Architects regularly had to make adjustments to the structure's plan to maximize its height.
Despite all the efforts of the sheikhs, the Burj Khalifa supposedly promises not long to remain the most imposing building in the world. Indeed, not so long ago, the government of Saudi Arabia announced its own project, which should outshine the famous tower with its grandeur. According to some reports, the height of the new giant called the Kingdom Tower will be 1.1 kilometers.
Skyscrapers in New York
One of the world leaders in the number of skyscrapers per unit area to this day remains the city of New York. The real tourist Mecca is the famous Empire State Building. The skyscraper is located in the financialdowntown at the intersection of Fifth and Thirty-fourth Avenues. The building occupies an entire block and rises 448 meters into the sky.
Not so long ago, the tallest skyscraper in New York was the World Trade Center. The monumental building consisted of two twin towers, each 541 meters high and 110 floors high. However, in 2011, a terrible tragedy took place. It's no secret that the famous skyscraper was destroyed by a terrorist attack and forever sunk into history.
In 2005, the famous Rofeller Center appeared on the map of the metropolis. Funds for the construction of the skyscraper were allocated by successful businessman John Rockefeller, after whom the building was actually named. The building towers over New York at 259 meters. At the top of the building there is an observation deck, which offers one of the best panoramas of the city. It is noteworthy that the observation tower on the roof of the building, built for tourists, does not have protective nets and bars. This allows site visitors to enjoy fantastic views.
Innovative technologies
Currently, in the construction of skyscrapers around the world, they are guided by the implementation of renewable energy sources in the project, the use of environmentally friendly, safe materials, and reducing the impact of a huge mass on the ground. Specialists are guided by possible vibrations of the structure, the impact of seismic phenomena on it.
How are skyscrapers built? First of all, designers resort to the use of compositematerials. As a rule, the same schemes are repeated at all levels of the building. The use of composites reduces the overall weight of buildings by an average of 10%. Technology also makes it possible to significantly speed up the implementation of projects.
The most advanced technologies are being used today in Asian countries. Here, they are especially concerned about the increased stability of high-rise structures, which is due to the high probability of the factors of natural disasters coming into play. Thus, the Jin Mao skyscraper, which is located in Shanghai, according to experts, can maintain the integrity of its structures at wind speeds of more than 200 km / h, and also withstand tremors with a power of up to 7 points. This is ensured by the implementation of movable joints inside the bearing steel columns. The presence of a swimming pool located on the 57th floor of a skyscraper has a huge impact on maintaining the stability of the structure. The latter allows the building to balance in space.
Not least in the construction of high-rise buildings is increased concern for the environment. Modern skyscrapers are increasingly playing the role of air filters that remove greenhouse gases and other harmful substances from the air. A striking example is the building of Bank of America, located on the island of Manhattan. Systems placed in the walls of the building structure are able to filter out polluted air and return it to the space already in a purified form.
The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, concentrates condensate, which thenleaves in the form of a liquid for irrigation of adjacent green spaces. Among other things, during the construction of the skyscraper, special grades of concrete were used that withstand high temperatures, which exceed 50oС.
In conclusion
So we found out how skyscrapers are built. Not so long ago, some of the above projects seemed like something futuristic and unattainable in the short term. As you can see, the development of technology does not stand still. Innovative solutions are quietly becoming part of our daily lives and are increasingly taken for granted.
