Held annually on the 3rd of September is World Skyscraper Day, a day to recognise the architectural and engineering feat that encompass some of the worlds tallest and most magnificent buildings.
Now characterised by buildings over 40 floors and above 150m in height, in the 19th century, skyscrapers originally came to refer to any building over 10 stories. Now, our resources have allowed us to dream much bigger, with the tallest building standing at 828m (163 stories) – The Burj Khalifa located in Dubai.
Typically, skyscrapers have a steel framework that is supported by curtain walls, rather than load baring walls that are typical of conventional buildings. They are well known for their large surface area of windows, made possible by this type of construction.
To view skyscrapers around the world you can take a look at The Skyscraper Center - the most extensive database of skyscrapers internationally. It’s crowdsourced, so if you see any buildings missing, feel free to add them to the list!
