What are skyscrapers?

      I asked the same question to my friend and he said that skyscraper is a tall building. Then another question came around “what is a tall building?” When we say a tall building, do we mean number of stories or height of the building?


      Let us take it as it is “a tall building”. In fact there is no specific height or number of stories from which we can say “that is a skyscraper”. The burj khalifa which is the tallest building on earth( 829 m) in Dubai is called a skyscraper, empire state in new york(443 m) is called a skyscraper, carton center(223 m) in Johannesburg is called a skyscraper, bank of Tanzania towers in Dar es salaam are also called skyscrapers. Hence skyscraper is not the matter of the height of the building.





                                                         empire state building

      Then skyscraper can be defined as any high-rise building which protrudes above its built environment and dominates the skyline of the area. That is why, burj khalifa in dubai is a skyscraper and bank of Tanzania towers in dar es salaam is also a skyscraper. Burj khalifa dominates the skyline of dubai and BOT towers dominates the skyline of Dar es salaam

      There are no specific materials which are recommended for building a skyscraper. In early ages of construction skyscrapers where constructed out of stones, but in this modern age they are constructed by steel frames and curtain walls. This is because of the revolution of building materials. Towers cannot be described as skyscrapers because they are not habitable. A skyscraper is habitable building usually designed for offices, residence and commercial activities.