WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Sky’s the Limit Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Technological advances have paved the way for skyscapers to reach astounding heights. However, before a building can climb to the sky, holes must first be drilled into the ground below. A skyscraper’s foundation is like roots of a tree - it’s laid underground and stabi- lizes the building. Given the staggering weight of a skyscraper, a foundation built on solid bedrock below the soil is the only way to ensure the structure is fully support- ed. Several innovations from the 1800s made skyscrapers possible. Before steam- powered digging and drilling machines were invented in the 1830s, excavating a con- struction site to build on bedrock was virtually impossible. Steel was not practical for use until Henry Bessemer invented a simple method to mass produce it in 1855. The elevator was also an important component invented in the 1850s, allowing people and goods to travel to top floors of buildings quickly and easily. Electric lighting, steam heating, and indoor plumbing were other crucial inventions contributing to the popularity of skyscrapers. Before the invention of steel-frame construction, walls of a building supported the structure; so the taller the structure, the thicker the walls had to be. In modern times, a rigid steel skeleton supports the building’s weight, and outer walls hang from the building’s frame almost like curtains. The first building to use this design was the ten-story Home Insurance Company Building, constructed in Chicago in 1885. Sideways force of the wind affects skyscrapers more than weight and con- tents of the structure. Designers must take extra precautions to ensure the building will not topple over in a strong wind, or sway enough to cause occu- pants discomfort. A concrete core is especially important to a skyscraper on gusty days, as it allows the structure to sway like a tree in the breeze. The foundation, or substructure starts with drilling. Holes called footings are drilled deep into bedrock, and steel beams are secured inside the holes to anchor the building above. The design and evolution of building techniques and equipment, especially in regards to deep foundation construction, has paved the way for modern mega- cities, allowing tens of thousands of peo- ple to work in close proximity. Skyscrapers of the future will only get taller; but one thing will never change - a building is only as strong as its foundation. The Home Insurance Building, known as “Father of the Skyscraper”, peaked at 138 feet. It was enormous by 1885 standards. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the world’s tallest building at over half a mile high! Photo courtesy of burjkhalifa.ae & ! $ # & # " ! $ # & # & " & ! " & " $ # & & ! & " & & "! " ! & "! " ! & " " ! ! ! !% $ # "! ! 24 NOVEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®