Fun Facts About Skyscrapers

Discover more about the buildings in the clouds with these fun facts about skyscrapers.

Basic Facts About Skyscrapers

A skyscraper is a term that means a very tall building.

A skyscraper has no minimum height, but modern skyscrapers are typically over 300 feet tall and contain more than 40 stories.

Skyscrapers can be hotels, offices, apartments, and retail spaces.

Now that you know some basic facts about skyscrapers, let’s learn some fun facts about skyscrapers.

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10 Fun Facts About Skyscrapers

These towering buildings are fascinating! Explore these fun facts about skyscrapers.

The First Skyscrapers Were Built in the 1800s

Although tall buildings existed before modern times (think of the Great Pyramid!), skyscrapers are a modern invention.

The first skyscrapers were built in New York City and Chicago in the late 1800s.

Modern skyscrapers are all made of steel or steel and concrete.

They don’t have load-bearing walls like traditional buildings. Instead, they are more like hollow cylinders with “curtain walls.”

The Word “Skyscrapers” Used to Refer to a Ship’s Sails

“Skyscrapers” was not a new word when it was applied to buildings.

In the 1700s, “skyscrapers” referred to the tall sails on a ship.

The term survived into the 1800s to describe anything exceptionally tall.

No one is sure who first coined the term to describe the multistory buildings of the late 1800s, but the name soon caught on.

Skyscrapers Come in Standard, Supertall, and Megatall Sizes

All skyscrapers are tall, but some are much taller than others.

Standard skyscrapers are between 500 and 1000 feet tall.

An example of a standard skyscraper is the Chrysler Building in New York City, which stands at around 1000 feet.

Supertall skyscrapers are above 1000 feet but below 2000 feet high.

One World Trade Center in New York City is an example of a supertall skyscraper. This building, completed in 2013, stands about 1700 feet tall.

Another supertall skyscraper is the Willis Tower (formerly called the Sears Tower) in Chicago.

Megatall skyscrapers are the tallest in the world. They are over 2000 feet high.

Due to design challenges and immense construction costs, megatall skyscrapers are pretty rare. One example is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai at 2717 feet.

The First Skyscraper Was an Insurance Building

In the 1800s and early 1900s, skyscrapers were smaller than those we have today.

They were buildings of ten stories or taller.

The first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building of Chicago. It was designed by William LeBaron Jenney and was built in 1885.

It was the first tall building to use a steel skeleton frame.

Initially, it was ten stories tall, although it was later extended to twelve stories tall.

It had particular design components to help it withstand fire.

This was especially important to Chicago residents who were still recovering from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Sadly, the Home Insurance Building was demolished in 1931 (to make way for another skyscraper).

You Can See a Twisted Skyscraper in Sweden

The Turning Torso is a skyscraper in Malmo, Sweden, that is around 600 feet tall.

It consists of nine segments, each five stories high, twisted in rotation.

London Has a Skyscraper Shaped Like a Pickle

One of London’s most iconic buildings is called The Gherkin because it looks a little like a pickle.

It was not supposed to have this name. Originally, it was called the Swiss Re Building.

But no one could deny the building’s visual similarity to a pickle, so the Gherkin nickname stuck.

The Gherkin is a model of energy-saving technology, using only half the energy of buildings of similar size.

The Aqua Skyscraper Ripples Like Water

Another unusual skyscraper is the Aqua Tower in Chicago.

Its various balconies have curved surfaces, which gives the sides of the tower a wavy appearance.

This is not only visually interesting, but it also helps the building divert some of Chicago’s strong winds.

The Empire State Building Has Its Own Zip Code

If you see a piece of mail addressed with the zip code 10118, you know it is going to one place: the Empire State Building.

With over a hundred floors and over 150 businesses housed inside, the U.S. Postal Service gave the building its own zip code.

It is not the only U.S. building with a unique zip code. La Guardia Airport, Dodger Stadium, and the CIA also have specific zip codes.

Taipei 101 Has a 660 Ton Ball Inside It

The skyscraper Taipei 101 in Taiwan was the world’s most giant skyscraper from 2004 to 2010 at 1671 feet (until it was surpassed by Burj Khalifa in Dubai).

Taiwan is prone to earthquakes and typhoons, but Taipei 101’s unique design features help it withstand those threats.

The building houses a 660-ton ball (called a tuned mass damper) that sways to offset the force of high winds and earthquakes.

Skyscrapers Must Rest on Bedrock

Skyscrapers are extremely heavy, so they can’t be built on top of soil. The soil would shift and the skyscraper would fall.

Their foundation has to go all the way to the bedrock, the solid rock under the surface of gravel and soil.

Before a skyscraper can be built, construction worker have to deep a pit all the way to the bedrock. This is where the skyscraper’s substructure will go.

Times Square in New York City has bedrock only 18 feet below the surface, making the location ideal for skyscrapers.

By contrast, the Twin’s Towers of Malaysia has a substructure 400 feet below the surface.

Skyscraper Fun Facts

These fun facts about skyscrapers are just the top of the Space Needle!

Skyscrapers are modern wonders that define our city skylines.