W3a1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

W3a1 - Assignment Example This paper discusses the activities of the people in the cities during the period of the creation of the skyscrapers and social, economic and political factors that fueled the creation of these buildings in the nineteenth century. The cities during the era of creation of the first skyscrapers were filled with Immigrants from India, Germany, Ireland and Immigrants of African descendants (Life in the city). The Immigrants were mostly farmers in the rural areas. Raw materials such as Iron and steel frames for construction were cheap and readily available as a result of the first industrial revolution. The availability of these materials led to the construction of tall buildings that did not take up much space for the base structure; steel is highly malleable taking many shapes to ensure strong connections. Steel frames supported curtain walls that could be constructed taller than concrete walls. Tall buildings require strong foundations due to their weight and the invention of special water-tight boxes made it possible to erect tall buildings on loose wet grounds. Technology developments such as the invention of elevators paved way for construction of buildings taller than ten storey buildings which were impract ical to access the upper floors through stairs. The invention of Air conditioning necessitated the construction of tall buildings that could be heated and ventilated. People were attracted to work in these buildings. The invention of water pumps that provided supply of water to upper floors and the adaptation of iron piping that allowed the provision of cold and hot water. Immigrants from Europe, India and some of the free Africans started moving to the cities in search of jobs and, as a result increasing the population in the urban centers. The Immigrants worked laborers in the Industries. The second industrial revolution improved the living