How long will skyscrapers last?

[Peter]

Skyscrapers will exit for as long as humans are on Earth. As for how long it takes them to crumble, the ones that have already been built, they will stay intact as long as they are taken care of I believe. Without humans interecting with them; if all of us dissappeared and only the elements were taken into account, a skyscraper would last for 500 years or maybe more. As for where we will be in the future, what comes after skyscrapers, as long as humans are on Earth there will be skyscrapers and they'll just get taller and taller. Maybe some of those visions like X-Seed and SkyCity will become a reality! I do believe though that the next big jump will be space construction.

[jmecklenborg]

The foundations and steel or concrete inner skeletons of these buildings will last hundreds of years, however the exteriors of many of the modernist buildings will be replaced at some point so it will be difficult to know which buildings are new and which are old from afar.

[Jasoncw]

I think at some point there will be a big accident in a skyscraper (maybe a column snaps and a portion of the building collapses) or something along those lines, and there will be a big safety concern about them. Also, a ton of skyscrapers were built in a short amount of time, so there would be a lot of work to do all at once.

I think at some point extensive maintainence would be needed, or the buildings will be torn down for safety reasons. I don't know when that point would be though.

Or if there will be any old skyscrapers left in the first place.

[CEO]

Originally Posted by Jasoncw

I think at some point there will be a big accident in a skyscraper (maybe a column snaps and a portion of the building collapses) or something along those lines, and there will be a big safety concern about them.

Is this based on the Minneapolis bridge collapse? An accident is sure to happen if there's neglect in maintenance and/or inspection. It doesn't mean all similar structures are unsafe.

Also, a ton of skyscrapers were built in a short amount of time, so there would be a lot of work to do all at once.

I think at some point extensive maintainence would be needed, or the buildings will be torn down for safety reasons. I don't know when that point would be though.

A place like Dubai where the entire city was built at the same time would probably need a lot of maintenance work at roughly the same time, but if they were able to build it all at once, why not fix it all at once?

[Peichen]

Why do we want skyscrapers to last a few hundred years? Sure, preserving old buildings such as ESB and Chrysler are economical and historical sounded today but how about the future? Do you want to live/work on the 70th floor of ESB if every building in NYC has over 500 floors and block out the sun? (Fifth Element)

Preserving a building for historical reason is acceptable for people up to a point and I believe that is a function of surrounding developments. e.g. the abundance of century old barn/house in rural area as compare to the city.

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by Peichen

Why do we want skyscrapers to last a few hundred years?

so in essence, you are asking why do we build skyscrapers?

[PhxPavilion]

Not only does the life expectancy of a building vary depending on maintenance but also materials used in its construction. Most buildings wouldn't last probably more than a couple hundred years without any maintenance before they would start to fall apart. I can tell you, all glass buildings would last fairly long assuming they are structurally sound but any building surrounded in marble granite would last substantially longer even without any maintenance because marble is extremely weather resistant. The pyramids in Egypt were originally encased with slabs of marble which is why they lasted as long as they did but those slabs have long since been removed by people who wanted them for their value and the pyramids are falling apart as a result.

[Kelvin]

Generally speaking stone does weather well, however some (such as limestone) will degrade faster than others and almost all stone (incl. marble) can breakdown under acid rain (esp. prevalent in the NE US). Look for a chalky white powder on the surface of the stone to see evidence of the reaction. The stone may very well last some time yet, but it is an indication of unexpected deterioration that is not always considered.

Add to that, acid rain can and will cut into any building material: glass, stone, grouts, etc.

[mcfinley]

On the note of weathering ability, climate is a huge factor in building deterioration. Take Cleopatra's Needle, it spent thousands of years in Egypt in nearly the same condition it was originally built, but after a hundred years in London (acid rain played a major part), the detail work is nearly gone. Oscillating between freezing and thawing also speeds deterioration.

I'm beginning to think all the supertalls in Dubai aren't such a bad idea. Given the climate, they could last for hundreds of thousands of years.

[yarabundi]

In 20 years from now, who knows ESB will be converted to condos !! Very expansive ones !! And towers twice the size of ESB will be New-York's new standards...
In 50 years from now, there will be 30 to 50 stories building in small towns (200-500K pop.).

[borgo100]

Originally Posted by yarabundi

In 20 years from now, who knows ESB will be converted to condos !! Very expansive ones !! And towers twice the size of ESB will be New-York's new standards...
In 50 years from now, there will be 30 to 50 stories building in small towns (200-500K pop.).

yeah in canada maybe but in the States there will be suburbs as far as the eye can see

[Kelvin]

Originally Posted by mcfinley

... Oscillating between freezing and thawing also speeds deterioration.

Freeze/thaw is a big problem in cold climates - in both rock and concrete. The condition is especially worsened if in a marine climate (so that the concrete will be saturated during each cycle). Other silent killers include Chloride Ion penetration (in concrete) and SCC (in steel) - although neither is generally applicable to commercial construction.

[lawsond]

would say indefinitely as long as they are maintained. there are cathedrals in europe that are centuries old so i don't see why a modern skyscraper can't last as long or longer.

omg. most of the buildings put up today are as disposable as a tampon.
the skeletal structure is sound. but the buildings are all cladding.
unlike cathedrals.
alot of them will be torn down.
and the rest will be treated like your local strip mall.
every 20 or thirty years, they'll peel off the cladding and replace with whatever is fashionable.
i only hope that the best will be left and maintained.
the trick is the pick and choose rationally.

[Amanita]

Lecom, I would love to see that report on the Twin Towers. Those buildings SHOULD have been around another few centuries. They deserved far better than to end up as they did.

[JManc]

if we were to completely abandon a skyscraper, i can't see it standing for more than a century before structural failure and collapse. the difference between modern buildings and cathedrals and other structures in the past is that the latter were built of stone (and stone lasts indefinitely) where as the former are built from materials that are known to deteriorate in a short amount of time.

[westsider]

Originally Posted by yarabundi

50 years from now, there will be 30 to 50 stories building in small towns (200-500K pop.).

There already are. There are several 400-500k size citys with buildings reaching that high.

[raggedy13]

^That's what I was going to say, and it's not just 400-500k, his original 200-500k is just as true. Checkout Burnaby BC, population 202,799. It has 7 30+ storey buildings built and 8 u/c.

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[sprtsluvr8]

There are many U.S. cities, population plus-or-minus 200K, with 30 story buildings as well...



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[CoolCzech]

I would imagine a skyscraper is much like a car: it'll last forever, IF the owner wants to keep sinking money into keeping it "up and running." I can't imagine anyone ever tearing down the ESB or Chrysler or even the UN Building, let's say...

[Rotary]

Originally Posted by Chicago103

According to Star Trek many skyscrapers and tall structures such as San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid and Golden Gate Bridge and Paris' Eiffel Tower will still be standing in the 24th Century.

And that's good enough for me