Technology: Utilizing concrete in highrise buildings - a case study of the Burj Dubai, Trump Tower and Infinity Tower
Concrete has become the dominant material for high-rise construction. The majority of tall buildings being designed and constructed today feature primary structural systems utilizing either all-concrete or a composite system utilizing concrete and steel. All-steel structural systems utilized by such buildings as the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago, and the World Trade Center in New York are no longer seen as the only option when deciding to build tall. Of the tallest buildings in the world, fourteen utilize composite structures, six steel, and four concrete. However, four of the six steel structures were built before 1975. Even more telling, of the ten tallest buildings completed in 2008, there were seven concrete systems, two composite, and only one steel (source: Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, www.ctbuh.org).
