This Is How Today's Skyscrapers Are Made to Be So Resilient

How come these massive structures don't wobble in the wind or crumble under their own weight?
Loukia Papadopoulos

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One glimpse at a modern skyscraper is enough to understand that they are marvels of engineering. The first one was built all the way back in 1885 and since then the structures have only been growing more impressive.

Take the Burj Khalifa for instance. The building is the world’s tallest skyscraper stretching  2,722 feet (829 meters) into the air.

But building it was no easy feat because the Burk Khalifa stands on top one of the worst foundations in the world: sand! As such, it took 192 steel piles, each 164-feet long (50 meters), and a foundation made from 121,000 tons (110,000 tonnes) of concrete to stabilize the building.

When you look at such tall buildings, it is hard to believe they don't wobble in the wind or crumble under their own weight. This is all because of the way they are engineered.

Indeed, skyscrapers pose a significant amount of challenges during building process, the biggest of which is the fight against one of Earth’s most fundamental forces: gravity. The higher these buildings go, the more weight they need to carry and the more solid their foundation needs to be.

How do engineers handle building these massive constructions? Watch our video to find out more.

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