EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Empire State Building

Empire State Building

Introduction

There are hundreds of inspiring buildings all over the world. This shows the hard work and dedication to design buildings of brilliant architects. Although great buildings may reflect different styles and serve different purposes, they share something in common: the ability to inspire awe in those who look at them. In this paper we will discuss the Empire State Building of New York City. We elaborate the history, design, structure, issues and energy efficiency of the building.

Empire State Building

At 1,250-feet-tall, New York City's Empire State Building is the third tallest structure in the United States. When the skyscraper was completed in 1931, it was the tallest building in the world. It retained this title for more than 40 years (Reavill and Zimmerman, 2003).

For 41 years, the Empire State Building stood proudly as the world's tallest building. Since 1973, however, when the World Trade Center opened in Manhattan, developers across the globe have built progressively taller skyscrapers that pierce unseen layers of the atmosphere. This fierce competition dropped the Empire State Building to No. 15 in the world at its 80th birthday in 2011 on a list compiled by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (Wagner, 2003).

The Empire State Building has become an iconic part of the New York City skyline. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon and completed in 1931. Constructed of steel and stone, this Art Deco-style skyscraper reaches 1,252 feet into the air. Tourists flock to the Empire State Building to see views of the city and the surrounding area from the 86th and 102nd floor observatories (Taurana, 1997).

Construction and architects

The Empire State Building was constructed with steel and stone, this Art Deco-style skyscraper reaches 1,252 feet into the air. Tourists flock to the Empire State Building to see views of the city and the surrounding area from the 86th and 102nd floor observatories (Pacelle, 2002).

The Empire State Building rises to 381 meters (1250 feet) at ground level 102, and including 62 meters (203 feet) from the pinnacle, its full height reaches 443 meters or 1453 feet 8 inches. The building has 85-way communications and office space is an area of 200,500 m 2. It has an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor (Wagner, 2003).

Unlike most of today's skyscrapers, the Empire State has a design art deco, architecture typical of the pre-World War II in New York. Modern shelters floors entries 33 and 34 lead to two floors high corridors around the elevator core, crossed by bridges closed stainless steel and glass on the second floor (Taurana, 1997).

Geometric Shapes

Art deco architecture was characterized by its extensive incorporation of geometric shapes in building structures. The art deco movement of the 1920s and 1930s coincided with the rise in popularity of skyscrapers, so many skyscrapers built during these decades are superb examples of the style. The Empire State Building, for example, was completed in New York ...