Skyscrapers

Build t:

Madison Spielman
Skyscrapers
Build t:

Madison Spielman
 Table of Contents
Consultant Publishing Credits
Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Dona Herweck Rice, Editor-in-Chief
Robin Erickson, Production Director
Room for Millions......................4
Lee Aucoin, Creative Director
Conni Medina, M.A.Ed., Editorial Director Elevators......................................8
Jamey Acosta, Editor
Stephanie Reid, Photo Editor
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed., Publisher What Is a Skyscraper?.............10
Building Skyscrapers..............12
Image Credits
Cover & p.1 Robert Churchill/iStockphoto; p.3 Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock; p.4 BarlomiejMagierowski/
Shutterstock.com; p.5 Danger Jacobs/Shutterstock; p.5 Ilja Mašík/Shutterstock; p.6 Amok.lv/Shutterstock; p.8 left:
Losevsky Pavel/Shutterstock; p.8 right: The Granger Collection, New York; p.9 ekash/iStockphoto; p.10 Leungchopan/
What Is Inside a
Shutterstock; p.11 Auremar/Shutterstock; p.11 Trinacria Photo/Shutterstock; p.11 Edwin Verin/Shutterstock;
p.12 Elena Aliaga/Shutterstock; p.13 Dainis/Shutterstock; p.13 Cobalt88/Shutterstock; p.13 DRGill/Shutterstock;
p.14 Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; p.15 Morgan Lane Photography/Shutterstock; p.15 Rick Hyman/iStockphoto;
Skyscraper?...........................22
p.16 Zelfit/Shutterstock; p.16 Kenneth V. Pilon/Shutterstock; p.17 Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; p.18 joyfull/
Shutterstock; p.19 Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; p.20 Dreamstime; p.20 Robert J. Beyers II/Shutterstock; p.21 Rick
Nease-Illustrator/TFK ; p.22 Gina Sanders/Shutterstock; p.23 lisegagne/iStockphoto; p.23 Marje Cannon/iStockphoto;
p.24 LWA/Larry Williams/Getty Images; p.24 Photolibrary; p.25 Wilfried Krecichwost/Getty Images; p.26 Lee The Tallest Skyscrapers...........26
Aucoin-Illustrator; p.27 Matt Grant/Shutterstock; p.27 gary718/Shutterstock; p.28 top to right bottom to right: Rick
Nease-Illustrator/TFK; Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; Dainis/Shutterstock; Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; Losevsky Pavel/
Shutterstock; Rick Nease-Illustrator/TFK; eungchopan/Shutterstock; back cover: Dainis/Shutterstock
Glossary.....................................28
Based on writing from TIME For Kids.
TIME For Kids and the TIME For Kids logo are registered trademarks of TIME Inc.
Used under license.

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2 3
 Room for Millions

Is there enough room for

Millions of people live and them? Where do they live?
work in the world’s biggest cities. Where do they work?
4 5
 Long ago, big cities started
to become too crowded.
People had to find a way to
make room for everyone.
Since they had no more room
to build out, they decided to
build up instead.

6 7
 Elevators

At first they could not build

very high. How would people
climb all of those stairs? Then
the elevator was invented.
People could easily get to the top That is how the first
of tall buildings. skyscrapers came to be.
8 9
 What Is a Skyscraper?
A skyscraper is a building
that seems to scrape the sky.
You must look up, up, up to see
the top.
10
Skyscrapers must be very
strong to go that high. Long
ago, people did not know how
to build such strong buildings.
Now they know how.
11
 Building Skyscrapers

A structure of steel and

First, machines dig a large, concrete is then built in the hole.
deep hole. This is the base.
12 13
 In order to be sturdy, a
skyscraper must have a wide,
strong base.

base

column

iron plate

The base will help to hold the

concrete
pad
steel
beams
skyscraper and keep it in place.

14 15
 beam

Next, tall steel beams are

added straight up from the
base. They hold the weight of
the skyscraper. The rest of the
building will be attached to the base
beams.
16 17
 girders

The next step is to add the

beam
floors. First, more steel beams
called girders are placed across
the tall beams. The girders
support the floors, and the tall
beams support the girders.
The builders must be careful
when they work high on the base
narrow girders!
18 19
 curtain wall

When the beams are in

place, glass and concrete are
added to make the walls and
floors. This is called the curtain
wall. The curtain wall can be
designed in many ways so that
every skyscraper looks different.
20 21
 What Is Inside a Skyscraper?

Most of the time, skyscrapers

are where people work. Many
different companies can have
offices in one skyscraper.
The skyscraper allows all the
companies to be near each other But people can live in
in one crowded city. skyscrapers, too.
22 23
 Families who live in
skyscrapers share them with
many other families. Each
family has its own home inside
the skyscraper.
24
If you lived in a skyscraper,
you might live on the 10th floor
and your best friend might live
on the 23rd floor. But you are
still in the same building!
25
 The Tallest Skyscrapers
Just how tall can a skyscraper
be? There is no telling. People
are always trying to build a
skyscraper that is taller than the
one before.

Some of the World’s Tallest Skyscrapers

Sears Tower Petronas Towers

When the Empire State

Building in New York City was
built, people thought that it was
as tall as a building could go.
1,450 ft.
Sears
1,483 ft.
Petronas
1,587 ft.
International
1,613 ft.
World
2,715 ft.
Burj
Now, the Sears Tower in Chicago
Tower
Chicago
Towers
Malaysia
Commercial
Center
Financial
Center
Khalifa
Dubai and the Petronas Towers in
Hong Kong Shanghai
Malaysia are much taller.
26 27
 Glossary

base beams concrete

curtain wall elevator girders

skyscrapers

28
 Skyscrapers
Build t:

In big cities, people work

and live in skyscrapers.
Have you ever wondered
how these towers are
built? How tall can they be?
Follow along to see how a
skyscraper goes up and
what goes on inside!

Level 2.4
Word Count: 462
Reading Level Correlations:
Early Intervention Level 20
Guided Reading Level K
DRA Level 24
Lexile® 630L TCM 14620