When we step out of our houses, it often feels like cities are in a constant race to build the tallest and most record-breaking structures. This competition highlights the significant impact and prestige associated with towering buildings.
On National Skyscraper Day (Sept. 3), we take a moment to honor the engineering and architectural innovations that make these skyscrapers possible. But amid all the excitement, it’s worth asking: is a tall building simply a skyscraper, or is a skyscraper something more than just a tall building?
Criteria
The term “tall building” is a broad and somewhat subjective category. It generally refers to any structure that stands out due to its height compared to its surroundings. What qualifies as a tall building can vary widely based on context.
UNI, an online community of 200,000 architects and designers that tackles real-world design challenges, has distinguished the two. It described skyscrapers having a height requirement that was established 200 years ago during the Industrial Revolution.
“The term skyscraper is used to describe the type of building that is typically found in the 21st century. But what exactly makes one a skyscraper? A skyscraper is actually defined by how tall it is — where 100 meters or 328 feet represents its minimum height requirement.”
According to UNI, a building that exceeds 300 meters (984 feet) is known as a “supertall tower.” When a building reaches one kilometer (3,281 feet) or more, it earns the title of “megatall tower.”
Both make a skyscraper.
“Also, a structure must be self-supporting to be classified as a true skyscraper, without having to rely on tension cables or supports to remain upright. Usually, 50 percent of the tower’s total height must be made up of habitable floor space for it to be eligible for such lofty status,” wrote UNI.
History
A 2020 article from Oxford University Press’s Academic Insights for the Thinking World notes that the identity of the first skyscraper was debated throughout the 20th century. However, the Chicago Home Insurance Building, constructed between 1884 and 1885, is widely regarded as one of the first modern skyscrapers.
“Designed by William Le Baron Jenney and standing ten stories tall, the Home Insurance Building was one of the first structures of its time to be supported by a fireproof structural steel and metal frame on both the inside and outside of the building,” wrote Oxford University Press’s blog post titled “A Visual History of Skyscrapers.”
According to the post, ever since the Home Insurance Building went up, skyscrapers have been popping up everywhere — from Russia to France, New York to Dubai, and beyond.
Metro Cebu
Based on statistics from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the world’s premier nonprofit organization focused on the future of urban development, Cebu is ranked as the 192nd tallest city in the world, the 112th tallest city in Asia, and the seventh tallest city in the Philippines, based on the number of completed buildings over 150 meters in height.
CTBUH has compiled a list of buildings that meet the minimum height criteria of 100 meters (328 feet) to qualify as skyscrapers, as defined by UNI. The tallest among them is Horizons 101 Tower 1, soaring to 178 meters (584 feet). Not far behind, Masters Tower Cebu is currently under construction and will stand at 172 meters (564 feet) once completed. The Cebu Exchange also adds to the city’s skyline with a height of 164 meters (538 feet). Another prominent structure is Horizons 101 Tower 2, which reaches 157 meters (515 feet).
The Crown Regency Hotel & Towers Fuente Tower 1 stands at 140 meters (459 feet), contributing to the vertical growth of the area. Lastly, Ultima Residences Fuente Tower 3, with a height of 130 meters (427 feet), completes the list of towering structures that define Cebu’s urban landscape.