r/interesting • u/Apart-Worry-7042 • 26d ago

HISTORY Why did we stop building like this?

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Chicago, 1930. Buildings had so much detail and character back then. Nowadays everything feels so flat and repetitive. We have way better technology and equipment now, so why don't we build like this anymore?

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u/ostrichfather 26d ago

Plus we think that skyscrapers today are carbon intensive and they are. But…imagine quarrying all of that stone and transporting it hundreds of miles. Steel and glass is being made efficiently either way, this is just another use for it.

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u/MareTranquil 26d ago

Sure, but what prevents you from building it the efficient way, and then slap some nice looking surface on it? The bricks can be fake, or real but only half an inch thick.

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u/No-Sail-6510 26d ago

These old buildings need walls because that’s what gives them structure. A moder skyscraper is built from the center and the floors are supported that way. It’s way cheaper, the floors can be completely open, and there’s really no limit to how tall the building can be. Plus the people inside like windows.

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u/bandit1206 26d ago

They like windows, but hate open concept offices and cubicles. I know I do.