In most cities around the world, tall buildings touch the sky. In Paris, London, Toronto, Japan, New York and Los Angeles, skyscrapers are an accepted part of the urban landscape. This has not always been the case. The history of tall modern structures dates back only a few decades. While iron made roofs strong and durable during the 1700s, it was not until the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, that engineers found the metal they had been waiting for – structural steel.
The Rise of Skyscrapers
Technology was behind the construction of the earliest skyscrapers. The invention of safety elevators by Elisha G. Otis (1813-1898) in 1857, combined with the ready availability of fossil fuels, the growth of cities and the development of structural steel in 1856. Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) made the production of steel inexpensive. This opened the way for the development of the Bessemer converter, responsible for making steel readily available for the tall structures that were to rise from 1889 (the Rand McNally Building in Chicago) to the Empire State into the early 1930s. Later inventions, such as electric arc welding (first patent 1865) and fluorescent light bulbs (1896 first bulb but commercial development is in the 1930s), also helped to make the move to build upwards easier.
The Rand McNally Building was, in fact, the first skyscraper to feature an all-steel frame. It was not, however, the last to soar into the skies. Others included the 10-storey Home Insurance Building (1895) in Chicago and the Woolworth Building (1913) in New York City. Yet, the most memorable building from this period of the skyscraper remained one of the symbols of New York for decades. This is the Empire State Building constructed in 1931.
The Formation of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
The first skyscrapers did not go unremarked by government officials and other concerned agencies. The result was the creation of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in 1921. It came out with its first book of specifications in 1923 titled Specification for the Design, Fabrication and Erection of Structural Steel for Buildings. This set the standards that companies have followed ever since.
From this small booklet of nine pages, the specifications have grown to reflect the increasing complexity of structural engineering and design and material intricacy. The book containing the specifications for steel are now more than one hundred pages in length. The AISC is another component in the ongoing story of the surge tall buildings or skyscrapers.
Structural Steel and the Future of Skyscrapers
Today, cities are home to a variety of skyscrapers. Some are architectural marvel; others are purely functional. Modern skyscrapers involve the execution of a variety of high-level skills. Precise construction specifications result in the need for overseeing authorities to enforce them without exceptions. With tall and taller buildings continuing to radiate outwards from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Paris and London to Asia and South America and the Middle East, no doubt remains that the demand for high quality structural steel will continue.
