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I was the height engineer for
my group and I researched about how skyscrapers are built and what
they are made out of.
Most skyscrapers are made of iron and steel. Since
steel is lighter and stronger than iron, most architects use steel.
The base of a skyscraper is made by putting iron plates, steel
beams, and concrete platforms underground as a substructure. Then,
a group of vertical steel columns are put up to support the weight
of the tower. Next, horizontal steel girders are put between the
columns to support the floor. Then the wall on the outside, made of
glass and concrete, is put up. A beam is a rigid structural
element. They are usually made of steel and sometimes iron. These
are appropriate because they are strong and steel is a lightweight
metal.
T beams, which help balance the structure and are in the shape of a
T. I also researched some of the 25 tallest skyscrapers in the
world. Taipei 101 is made especially to endure strong winds
and earthquakes. It was built rigid enough not to sway sideways,
but still had to be flexible in strong winds. High-performance
steel was used to create the building flexible and stable enough.
It has 36 columns supporting it, including 8 concrete packed mega
columns. It is one of the most stable buildings in the world.
The Chrysler Building in NYC is the tallest brick skyscraper in the
world. It uses extensive metal covering on the outside. The spire
on top of the building was brought in secret so that the building
would be the tallest in the world at the time. Q1 Tower in
Gold Coast City, Australia, was designed to look like the Sydney
Olympic torch. It was made using steel and glass. Petronas Twin
Towers are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They are made of concrete and
steel. They were built to symbolize strength and grace using
Islamic architecture. Burj Al Arab
is in Dubai. It is shaped like giant
sail and is the only 7-star hotel in the world. It is built on an
artificial island in the ocean, just off the coast |
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| Interview I interviewed Jerry. He designs buildings on computers. He told me the best shapes to use to be strong and hold the most weight are triangles and cylinders. Also that the structure should be as short and thick as possible. He said not to crease the paper more than necessary because that would make it weaker. Corrugation is a good thing to make the structure stronger by putting it inside and along the walls. The structure should be about half the width of the largest weight that you put on. |
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Reflections Our structure was 9 1/8 inches tall. It held 340 pounds. Some benefits of our structure were that we had lots of support inside it. Also we used cylinders and triangles, which are the strongest shapes. Some weaknesses of our design were that the bottom started to cave in. This also started to happen to the top of the structure. If I could change something about it I would've put a top and base on the structure.
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Bibliography
http://www.skyscraperpicture http://www.greatbuildings.com/
http://science.howstuffworks http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/structures/skyscraper1.htm |
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