STRENGTH FROM WITHIN

What elements make up the core of a skyscraper?

Beams and girders

Lattices of steel beams and girders give the superstructure strength, often covered with plaster, vermiculite and fibreglass to add corrosion and heat protection.

Ground floor

The skyscraper’s heart, not least because of its reinforced stairways and elevators, as well as the building’s safety and security systems.

Grillage

A framework of steel beams and girders providing a broad, strong and rigid core to the substructure.

Bedrock

The layer of solid rock far beneath the surface soil, onto which the building must be secured by steel piles riveted to iron plates.

Spire

An essential design element and therefore counted in the building’s official height – as opposed to antennae, which are not.

Windows

External window panels are lowered into place as each floor is completed. They are made from super-toughened glass or, on occasion, blast-resistant plastic.

Curtain wall

With the superstructure bearing most of the load, the curtain wall of reinforced concrete and fire-resistant plaster mainly supports its own weight.

Elevators

Banks of elevators rise through the core of the building, making it fit for purpose. Scenic elevators may run along the exterior wall.

Columns

Secured to the grillage by metal plates, steel columns rise through the skyscraper’s core and perimeter.

Concrete

Alongside steel, reinforced concrete is the backbone of the skyscraper, not least to provide a solid, level base for construction to begin.