| Vol. - No. | Vol.11 - No.1 |
|---|---|
| Date | Mar., 2022 |
| Title | The First Skyscraper Revisited |
| Author | Mir M. Ali1 and Kyoung Sun Moon2+ |
| Institutions |
1School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA 2School of Architecture, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA |
| Abstract |
Debates on what is the first skyscraper have been ongoing from time to time since the construction of the Home Insurance Building in Chicago in 1885, which is generally recognized as the first built skyscraper. This paper attempts to verify this assertion through a detailed investigation after identifying the criteria that characterize a skyscraper. By considering and examining several competing buildings for the title of "first skyscraper" in terms of their levels of satisfying these criteria, the paper reconfirms that the Home Insurance Building in Chicago indeed qualifies as the first skyscraper and is the harbinger of future skyscrapers. By introducing technological and associated architectural innovations in this pioneering building, its designer William Le Baron Jenney paved the way for the construction of future skyscrapers. In traditional construction, heavy masonry walls especially at lower levels did not allow large window openings in exterior walls that would permit ample daylight. For the Home Insurance Building, originally built with 10 stories, Jenney created a metal-framed skeletal structure that carried the building's loads, making the building lighter and allowed for large windows permitting ample natural light to the building's interior. The exterior iron columns were encased in relatively small masonry piers mainly for fireproofing, weather-protection and façade aesthetics. Relying on the structural framing on the building's perimeter, the exterior masonry thus turned into a rudimentary "curtain wall" system, heralding the use of curtain wall construction in future skyscrapers. This building's innovative structural system led to what is known as the "Chicago Skeleton," and eventually produced remarkable skyscrapers all over the world. |
| Keyword |
Tall Building, Skyscraper, Home Insurance Building, Masonry Building, Skeletal Structure, Curtain Wall, Passenger Elevator |
| PP. | PP.2~14 |
| Paper File |
 View |