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"What is the chief characteristic of the tall office building? It is lofty. It must be tall. The force and power of altitude must be in it, the glory and pride of exaltation must be in it. It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exaltation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line."

— Louis Sullivan's The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered ( 1896)

The word skyscraper was originally a nautical term for a tall mast or sail on a sailing ship. Today the word is used exclusively to refer to a tall habitable building, usually higher than 152  metres (500  feet). Skyscrapers are also sometimes referred to as a highrise, generally the word highrise is used when referring to a skyscraper which is primarily used as residential building.

Until the 19th century, buildings of over six stories were rare. It was impractical to have people walk up so many flights of stairs. Also, water pressure could only provide running water to about 50 feet (15 m).

The development of steel, reinforced concrete, and water pumps have made possible the construction of extremely tall buildings, some of which are over 300 metres tall. The other development essential to practical skyscraper development was the invention of the elevator.

The skyscraper first emerged in the land-strapped areas of New York City and Chicago toward the end of the 19th century. William Le Baron Jenney designed the first skyscraper in Chicago, The Home Insurance Building. The ten-storied structure was constructed in 1884-1885 and was destroyed in 1931 for the Field's building.

The weight-bearing components of skyscrapers also differ substantially from other buildings. Buildings of about 4 stories are supported by their walls where skyscrapers are larger buildings that must be supported by a skeletal frame. The walls then hang off this frame like curtains. Special consideration must then be given for buildings that are over 40 stories tall because of the force wind puts on the structure.

See world's tallest structures for a discussion of the tallest skyscrapers and other man-made structures, as defining the "world's tallest..." depends greatly on matters of definition.

1 Top 50 Skyscrapers by structural/architectural height

The Sears Tower311 South Wacker Drive from the street The Sears Tower is a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Commissioned by Sears, it was designed by chief architect Bruce Graham and structural Engineer Fazlur Kahn of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. Construction commenced in Chicago, the world's tallest skyscraper from 1974 to 2004. Retained Highest pinnacle on a high-rise

This table is adapted from [1] and utilizes the criteria set by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban HabitatThe Council on Tall buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) was founded at Lehigh University in 1969. Its office remained at Lehigh until October 2003, when it moved to the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois. Although its stated mission is (CTBUH). It ranks high rises by the highest architectural detail, and does not include the height of structural components that do not count as architectural structures, such as antennas and masts. This sort of ranking allows buildings that look smaller in height to be ranked higher if another building's spire is adjudged to be a large antenna and thus excluded. This results in such rankings as the Petronas Towers being ranked higher then the Sears Tower311 South Wacker Drive from the street The Sears Tower is a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Commissioned by Sears, it was designed by chief architect Bruce Graham and structural Engineer Fazlur Kahn of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. Construction commenced despite having a much lower highest point and occupiable floor. Also, the list does not include free-standing buildings that are not classified as high rises, such as the CN Tower33 metres (1,815. 39 feet), the Canada's National Tower is the world's tallest free-standing structure on land. The CN Tower is located in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is considered the signature icon of the city and attracts over 2 million vi, TV masts, bridges, or oil platforms. The table is up to date as of 2004, with destroyed buildings removed, notably the World Trade CenterThis article is about the World Trade Center complex in New York City; see this article for the many other buildings around the world that have also been called "world trade centers". The World Trade Center in New York City was a complex of several buildi which would be in the top ten. (Note: the height given is the highest architectural detail and may not be highest point on building.)

For a longer listing go to List of skyscrapers