The term "Skyscraper" first applied to buildings in late 19th century as a result of how tall the buildings in Chicago and New York were being built. It also developed further as an active industrial steel industry allowed for even higher buildings. There is no official definition or height that specifically classifies a building as a skyscraper. However, skyscrapers have to be taller than wide and most of them are modern looking with a futuristic design. There is a bit of controversy regarding what makes a building a skyscraper. Some people say a skyscraper is based on how tall a building is. Others say that a skyscraper has to be made with steel. Interestingly, the world's tallest skyscrapers are made almost entirely out of concrete.
In the beginning, skyscrapers were just office building, but now we see examples of them as residences. Building a skyscraper has a symbolic relationship that shows a city that has been economically successful.
The special exhibition in the skyscraper museum was about 21-century of skyscrapers in Shanghai. Shanghai is a city in China that has been developing very fast and pursuing a path of modernization and urbanization. One district in particular has shown significant growth: Pudong, which is on the east side of the Huangpu river. For example, the Shanghai tower is currently being built in Pudong by Gensler, an American firm. The building will be the second tallest building in the world and will be completed in 2014.
Shanghai and New York have a few similarities. Trading is very important in both of cities so both have a large financial district. Population density is also very high in both cities even though New York is a lot more smaller than Shanghai. If New York is the 20th Century version of modern landscape, then Shanghai is the 21st Century version. Most of Shanghai has been developed very quickly in the past decade. This trip reminded me of when I first arrived in New York. I was so shocked by all the tall buildings lined up in Midtown which I had only previously seen in movies. Of course, the feeling was very different between seeing things in movie and in reality. I felt, for the first time, that the world is so big and I am very small. I am curious at how I might feel if I went to Shanghai and saw all those buildings outside of the museum photos and in reality.
