How to Build a Skyscraper

Since 1884, humans have been building skyscrapers. This means that we had 6 decades of skyscraper-building experience before we started building software (depending on your definition of "software"). Maybe there are some lessons we can learn from past experience?

This talk won't make you an expert skyscraper-builder, but you might just come away with a different perspective on how you build software.

Transcript

1. How to Build a Skyscraper
2. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
3. How to Build a Skyscraper
4. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
5. “ The problems posed in skyscraper design are considered among the most complex encountered given the balances required between economics, engineering, and construction management. — Wikipedia: Skyscraper Design and Construction
6. 1870 Equitable Life Building New York, New York, USA
7. 40m tall
13. Elisha Otis 1811 - 1861
19. #protip Higher is better. (but only if you can move up and down easily)
20. A solution that seems unremarkable to you might just change everything for others. (so share what you build) #protip
21. If failure occurs, don’t let people fall all the way down. (this is how we lose people) #protip
23. New York Times, January 11th, 1912
26. Never underestimate the power of people to ruin your beautiful building. (consider testing your claims before they do) #protip
27. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
28. 1885 Home Insurance Building Chicago, Illinois, USA
29. William Le Baron Jenney 1832 - 1907
30. 43m tall
32. Seek inspiration in unexpected places. #protip
33. “ The American Skyscraper, 1850-1940: A Celebration of Height CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 No nineteenth-century skyscraper caused more controversy than did Chicago’s Home Insurance Building. Many claimed it was the Americas’ first skyscraper, others, of course, disagreed. Much depended upon whom you asked and much depended upon where they were from.
34. Haters gonna hate. (don’t let that stop you from building) #protip
35. Leroy S. Buffington 1847 - 1931
37. Ditherington Flax Mill Shrewsbury, UK Photo: Taliesin Edwards CC BY-SA 3.0
38. Patent trolls gonna patent troll. (meanwhile, you should be busy building) #protip
39. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
40. 1891 Monadnock Building Chicago, Illinois, USA
41. Peter Chardon Brooks III (1831-1920) Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society Owen F. Aldis (1853-1925)
42. Daniel Burnham 1846 - 1912 John Root 1850 - 1891
45. All Giza Pyramids Ricardo Liberato CC BY-SA 2.0
46. Embrace constraints. (otherwise, you’re gonna have a bad time — they’re everywhere) #protip
48. Monadnock Building David K. Staub CC BY-SA 2.5 66m tall
50. If your only concern is profitability, don’t be surprised when you start sinking. #protip
51. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
52. 1902 Fuller Flatiron Building New York, New York, USA
53. Daniel Burnham 1846 - 1912 John Root 1850 - 1891
54. Daniel Burnham 1846 - 1912 Frederick Dinkelberg 1858 - 1935
55. 87m tall
56. 87m tall
57. Flatiron “Point” Office Josh S. Jackson CC BY-NC 2.0
58. The space you have to work with should influence how you build. (it’s better to have an oddly-shaped building than half a building) #protip
59. Choose the right materials for the job. #protip
61. Corydon Purdy 1859 - 1944
62. Testing makes it possible to be confident about what we build, even when others aren’t. #protip
63. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
64. 1930 40 Wall Street - vs - The Chrysler Building New York, New York, USA
65. William Van Alen 1883-1954 H. Craig Severance 1879-1941
66. “ It wouldn’t have mattered what I decided to do — doctor or lawyer. I would have done them all as well. — H. Craig Severance, on becoming an architect
67. 40 Wall Street Wikipedia: ChrisRuvulo CC BY-SA 3.0 Chrysler Building Jessica Spengler CC BY 2.0
68. 40 Wall Street Walter P. Chrysler William Van Alen Chrysler Building Yasuo Matsui Richmond Shreve William Lamb H. Craig Severance
69. 40 Wall Street Walter P. Chrysler William Van Alen Chrysler Building Yasuo Matsui Richmond Shreve William Lamb H. Craig Severance Announced: April, 1929 Announced height: 256m Announced: March, 1929 Announced height: 246m
70. 40 Wall Street Walter P. Chrysler William Van Alen Chrysler Building Yasuo Matsui Richmond Shreve William Lamb H. Craig Severance Announced: April, 1929 Announced height: 256m Height in October: < 259m Announced: March, 1929 Announced height: 246m Height in October: 259m
71. New Skyscraper Race is Won by Bank of Manhattan Building Plans Altered Twice to Beat Out Chrysler […] The Chrysler construction is so far advanced that further changes are impossible. […] — New York Evening Telegram, October 18th, 1929
73. There’s opportunity for great work in the places nobody else is looking. #protip
74. The World’s Tallest Building Raises the Stars and Stripes to the New York Heavens — The New York World, November 12th, 1929
75. 40 Wall Street Walter P. Chrysler William Van Alen Chrysler Building Yasuo Matsui Richmond Shreve William Lamb H. Craig Severance Announced: April, 1929 Announced height: 256m Height in October: < 259m 282.5m Announced: March, 1929 Announced height: 246m Height in October: 259m 319.5m Cost: $14,000,000 Cost: $13,091,416
76. Big buildings are expensive. Big egos even more so. (your building is not you) #protip
78. “ — American Architect and Architecture, volume 138 This case should be a lesson to other architects who are inclined to depend on their artistic rather than on their business ability, for no client wants to start an operation which may wind up in a law suit.
79. Heights you have yet to reach seem more impressive than they look once you get there. #protip
80. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
81. 1931 Empire State Building New York, New York, USA
82. Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York, NY
83. Al Smith 1873-1944 John J. Raskob 1879-1950
84. “I’m to be an Irish landlord.” — Al Smith, addressing the press
 August 29th, 1929
85. Richmond Shreve 1877-1946 William Lamb 1893-1952
86. Richmond Shreve 1877-1946 William Lamb 1893-1952 Arthur Harmon 1878-1958
87. “ — William Lamb, on designing the Empire State Building The program was short enough — a fixed budget, no space more than 38 feet [11.5m] from window to corridor, as many stories of as much space as possible, an exterior of limestone, and completion by May 1, 1931 […] The first three of these requirements produced the mass of the building and the latter two the characteristics of the design.
88. When given a tight deadline, get ready to make concessions. #protip
91. Even when making concessions, ensure a pleasant experience for those who matter. #protip
92. Him
93. Her
94. Him
95. Possibly him
96. Definitely not him
97. For Sale
 Flickr: chucka_nc CC BY-SA 2.0
100. Reuse previous work. (even if it’s not originally yours) #protip
101. November 18th, 1929
102. November 18th, 1929 “ The determination of the height of the building will be based on the sound development of useable space. As we proceed with the plans the owners will be in a better position to determine what the height of the building is to be. — Richmond Shreve
106. “ Building with an eye to the future, we have determined to build a mooring tower 200 feet [61m] high on top of the new Empire State Building. […] the Zeppelin would be anchored more than 1,300 feet [396m] in the air, with elevator facilities throughout the tower to land passengers downstairs seven minutes after the ship is anchored. — Al Smith, December 11th, 1929
107. People can rationalize just about any decision. (that doesn’t excuse you from trying to talk them out of it) #protip
109. You might be able to design from top down, but you should build from bottom up. #protip
111. Demolition order for 'mountain villa' built on China rooftop A medicine mogul who spent six years building his own private mountain peak and luxury villa atop a high-rise apartment block in China's capital has been given 15 days to tear it down. — The Telegraph, August 13, 2013
118. OK, this one isn’t at Empire State. “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper”, taken at Rockafeller Center, September 20, 1932
119. Empire State Building David Shankbone CC BY-SA 3.0 381m 443m Opened: May 1st, 1931
120. Speed is important, but life is more important. #protip
121. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
122. 1952 United Nations Headquarters New York, New York, USA
123. UN HQ Padraic Ryan CC BY-SA 3.0 155m tall
125. It doesn’t matter how pretty your building is, if nobody can tolerate being inside it. #protip
126. Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company Brooklyn, New York, USA
127. Willis Carrier 1876-1950
128. Willis Carrier 1876-1950
130. Alfred Wolff 1859 - 1909
132. Engineering cool things is good. Engineering cool things that people can actually use is better. #protip
133. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
134. 1973 Willis (Sears) Tower Chicago, Illinois, USA
135. Fazlur Rahman Khan 1928-1982
136. Chicago from Hancock Todd Petrie CC BY 2.0
139. KK 100 Shenzhen, China
140. Majestic Centre Wellington, New Zealand
141. 30 St. Mary Axe London, England Wikipedia: Diliff CC BY-SA 3.0
142. The higher you go, the windier it gets. (better develop a thick shell) #protip
143. Wikipedia: Cmglee CC BY-SA 3.0
144. 442m 527m Willis Tower Wikipedia: Soakoligist
145. Multiple small structures working together can be more resilient than a single large building. #protip
146. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
147. 2004 Taipei 101 Taipei, Taiwan
148. Taipei 101 mailer_diablo CC BY-SA 3.0 508m 449m
152. CATASTROPHIC FAILURE
153. “ […] the only way to assure a lack of failure is to test for all modes of failure, in both the laboratory and the real world. But the only way to know of all modes of failure is to learn from previous failures. — Wikipedia: Skyscraper Design and Construction
154. “ Thus, no engineer can be absolutely sure that a given structure will resist all loadings that could cause failure, but can only have large enough margins of safety such that a failure is acceptably unlikely. — Wikipedia: Skyscraper Design and Construction
155. Test to ensure catastrophic failure is acceptably unlikely. (and please, set a high bar for “acceptable”) #protip
160. Be rigid where you have to be, and flexible where you can afford to be. (you’d be surprised how flexible you can afford to be) #protip
161. Taipei 101 Tuned Mass Damper Armand du Plessis CC BY 3.0
164. When the winds pick up, it’s good to have someone big at the top pulling for you. #protip
165. This talk is not about skyscrapers.
166. 2010 Burj Khalifa Dubai, United Arab Emirates
167. September 11th, 2001
168. Burj Khalifa Donaldytong CC BY-SA 3.0 828m tall
169. Q: How do people get out of the Burj Khalifa in an emergency?
170. They don’t. A:
171. Leaving can’t be the only option. #protip
173. Create safe spaces. #protip
175. Don’t make the safe spaces hard to reach. #protip
177. Give people room to breathe. #protip
181. Eliminate toxic elements. #protip
182. Dubai Civil Defense Imre Solt CC BY-SA 3.0
183. Help each other. Especially those who aren’t in a position to help themselves. #protip
184. People aren’t expendable. #protip
185. This has not been a talk about skyscrapers.
186. ¡MOLTES GRÀCIES! Ernie Miller erniemiller Watch and read more: Big, Bigger, Biggest: Skyscraper National Geographic https://youtu.be/eigBF19aYmA Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City Neal Bascomb http://amzn.to/1KoDRFt The Flatiron: The New York Landmark and the Incomparable City that Arose with It Alice Sparburg Alexiou http://amzn.to/1Ju1dDQ
187. ¡MOLTES GRÀCIES! ❤ Ernie Miller erniemiller Watch and read more: Big, Bigger, Biggest: Skyscraper National Geographic https://youtu.be/eigBF19aYmA Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City Neal Bascomb http://amzn.to/1KoDRFt The Flatiron: The New York Landmark and the Incomparable City that Arose with It Alice Sparburg Alexiou http://amzn.to/1Ju1dDQ