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Every year people celebrate National Skyscraper Day on September 3, on the birth anniversary of Louis H. Sullivan. He is called the ‘Father of Modern Skyscrapers.’ The term “skyscraper” was derived in the United States in the late 1880s. Skyscrapers are tall buildings that describe a city’s skyline. The buildings that had more floors than the surrounding buildings were known as skyscrapers. These days, buildings that have at least 40 or more levels are called skyscrapers. Saving the space of a city center lessens urban sprawl, enabling for better preservation of natural areas.
National Skyscraper Day is our golden chance to encourage these architectural marvels and feats of engineering. In this article we are going to learn about its celebrations, activities and some interesting facts. Today skyscrapers has become a very common thing in describing a metropolis but do you know that skyscrapers ain’t that old and that time it was very rare to construct skyscrapers at first but now they are everywhere.
Skyscrapers are the one that provides a beauty to a modern city by describing its magnificent looking skyline. And when we think of skyline we thinks of Manhattan but today almost every US cities and many cities around the world are filled with skylines. Like Dubai, Shanghai and many others have now become a powerhouse in terms of skyscrapers.
So in order to honor this architectural marvel and feat of engineering the United States celebrates its National Skyscraper Day every year on 3rd September.
| Event | National Skyscraper Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 3, 2022 |
| Day | Saturday |
| Significance | This stunning skyline is honored and celebrated |
| Observed by | United States |
National Skyscraper Day History:
Skyscrapers isn’t that old if you look into history although historically there were many tall structures like pyramids, towers and lighthouses but tall buildings only began to be seen in recent history.
The world’s first skyscraper was only established in 1884 and it was in Chicago’s Home Insurance Building constructed in Chicago. And this building was only 138 feet tall and by modern standards it wouldn’t be even regarded as a proper skyscraper as 492 feet is the required height now. But at that time it was called as the world’s first skyscraper.
But soon after the first skyscraper was built it didn’t took that long before many skyscrapers began to appear and in the United States the financial capital New York began to win this race especially through the Manhattan area. Other cities like Chicago and San Francisco began giving tough competition too. Los Angeles from the beginning only didn’t consider much about skyscrapers.
Then the Empire State Building came into operations in New York and stay the tallest building of the world for the longest time for almost 40 years. But as we know now that Burj Khalifa is the tallest building as of now with a height of 828 metre or 2,417 feet.
September 3rd was selected because it’s the birthday of Louis H. Sullivan, who is known as the “father of skyscrapers”. As he is believed to have developed the first skyscrapers.
National Skyscraper Day Significance:
Skyscrapers was begun in the United States and at one point in history the US had the monopoly in terms of skyscrapers in the world and that’s why it is also a proud moment for all the engineers to construct these architectural marvels especially in those times and thus they must be respected.
Today the criteria for skyscrapers has extended as any building with or above height of 150 metres or 492 feet is regarded as a skyscraper. And US still has the most skyscrapers in the world according to this criteria but China is moving up fast and it is anticipated to cross US and this will be the first time when US will lose its first position since skyscrapers were started.
IN spite of the fact that US may longer not have monopoly in skyscrapers like it used to once as because of introduction of technology and engineering to the complete world now everyone is building it especially the Asian countries are showing a very good increasing trend in terms of skyscrapers. But still skyscrapers are the life of cities in US and the world.
Even if you are a nature lover and don’t like skyscrapers or concrete stuffs but you can’t ignore that skyscrapers are the soul of cities especially big cities. We can’t think about a city without a skyline today. And skyscrapers are very significant too as it protects our land by accommodating large amount of people in a lesser space.
National Skyscraper Day Facts:
Now let’s go through some interesting facts about these tall structures called skyscrapers:
- Chicago’s life insurance building constructed in 1884 is regarded as the world’s first skyscraper.
- The word skyscraper did not always known to tall buildings. During the 1800s they were used to consider tall man and hat as well.
- A 57-storey skyscraper in China was constructed in just 19 days and still holds the record for its speedy construction.
- Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world than any other city at 308 currently.
- Buildings above 300 metres are called Supertall and above 600 metres are called Megatall.
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1. When is National Skyscraper Day is celebrated?
National Skyscraper Day is celebrated on 3rd September every year.
2. Who is considered as the “father of skyscrapers”?
Louis H. Sullivan is considered as the “father of skyscrapers.”
3. Which is the world’s first skyscraper?
Chicago’s life insurance building constructed in 1884 is regarded to be the world’s first skyscraper.
NATIONAL SKYSCRAPER DAY ACTIVITIES
- Visit the top of your local skyscraper
Chances are, you stay nearby a skyscraper, and National Skyscraper Day is the perfect plan to visit your local skyscraper up close. Take a trip to your skyscraper and get a sense of the building from the inside. Ride the elevator (or dare to climb the stairs) to the top of the building and look out the window at the city around you. The top floors of many skyscrapers have restaurants, tours, or other ways to entertain visitors, so poke around the offerings at your local skyscraper and have some fun!
- Explore your local architecture or engineering
Most of us weren’t cut out to be architects or engineers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t encourage these two crucial professions and what they bring to many aspects of modern life. National Skyscraper Day is a great chance to study about the styles of architecture in your area. Or if you choose something a little less artsy, you can read up on the engineering challenges that were overcome to construct the skyscrapers near you. Every area is different, and regional construction challenges had an impact on how your local skyscrapers were constructed.
- Build your own skyscraper
Most skyscrapers have a steel framework that works to support various curtain walls, but you can make a miniature version at home with building blocks, dry pasta and glue, or even toothpicks and tongue depressors. Plan on your materials ahead of time, and challenge your friends to a skyscraper game! Give everyone the same period of building time, and see who can make the tallest skyscraper of all. You could even hold a skyscraper party with a number of teams all competing for that top spot.
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- Their lofty top-down perspective
No matter how you cut it, there’s one thing all skyscrapers have in common — they’re tall. A modern-day skyscraper boasts at least 40 floors from bottom to top, and it can offer you some really unparalleled views of the surrounding cityscape. The higher you go, the smaller the bustle on the ground looks, and the tallest skyscrapers around the world can make the people and even the cars seem like tiny little ants. Whether you’re struggling with some mundane problems or seeking a more big-picture outlook on life, there’s nothing quite like looking down from the top of a skyscraper.
- They bring the prestige
Whenever a new skyscraper makes the list of the world’s tallest buildings, it makes a considerable amount of prestige for the city, state, and country it calls home. Skyscrapers really define the skyline from which a city derives a lot of its identity and unique personality. Hosting a skyscraper is really a mark of your city’s economic prowess, and cities with more skyscrapers tend to see more business activity than cities with lower rooftops. If you’ve ever opted for a hotel’s penthouse suite or felt impressed by a top-floor corner office, you’ve experienced the allure of skyscraper prestige firsthand.
- They combine science and art
Though the official origins of National Skyscraper Day are unknown, it remains clear that skyscrapers are a true testament to the awesomeness of humanity. They are gargantuan projects that rely on heavy-duty science and the artistry of design in equal measure. Skyscrapers require brilliant architects who can design beautiful buildings that will proudly feature in the city skyline for generations to come. But skyscrapers also rely on ingenious engineers to turn architectural designs into a real-world plan of action founded on modern scientific principles.
NATIONAL SKYSCRAPER DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | September 3 | Saturday |
| 2023 | September 3 | Sunday |
| 2024 | September 3 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | September 3 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | September 3 | Thursday |
The World’s First Skyscraper
The world’s first skyscraper is the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. Finished in 1885, it was the first to use a curtain wall construction on a steel frame.
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Some more Facts for National Skyscraper Day
- The Home Insurance Building in Chicago is generally regarded the world’s first skyscraper. Completed in 1885, it was the first to use a curtain wall construction on a steel frame.
- Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest skyscraper.
- World’s fastest elevator located in Shanghai Tower.
- Asia has the highest number of skyscrapers.
- The word skyscraper did not always refer to really tall buildings. Over the years the word has meant a number of different things. A couple of them include meaning a very tall man (in 1857) and a tall hat or bonnet (in 1800).
- In just 19 days China built A 57 story skyscraper. The company which built the skyscraper used 2,736 modular units and assembled them at an incredible rate of 3 floors per day.
Conclusion
Really, this National Skyscraper Day Celebration not only reminds us about the professional skills of engineers but also the sacrifice of the workers who work at high risk. We should appreciate their courage and great sacrifices. The day is made to inform us about their greatness.
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