by Will Kester

Created on: February 11, 2008

What is safe? Why are buildings so tall? Are tall buildings as safe as shorter buildings? Come with me as we explore tall buildings, safety and security issues in ever-taller attempts to reach the stars with just an elevator.

When we can't expand outward, we tend to expand upward. If we want a great view, we climb higher. When we want to demonstrate our success, we rent higher than we should on our budgets, hoping to be able to afford still higher domiciles or offices. Why we continue to climb higher is understandable, maybe. "Should we?" is another question.

In Medieval times, the nobility lived high above the commoners, who toiled amongst and breathed the sewage smells, wishing to climb above the stench. We have improved sewage, now, but cities still have fumes and the nobles still dwell high above the stench, and feel they deserve it, making any risk of toppling worth the reward for their endeavors.

How safe are those thrones of accomplishment? They are probably much safer than living in an abandoned warehouse on the lower side of the city. Everything in life is fragile, and only perceived threats are feared; not real threats, often.

Architects are under greater pressure and scrutiny, as they design taller buildings, attempting to engineer out possibilities of fire and collapse. Smaller structures don't require as many safety codes as taller buildings do. Smaller structures aren't dropped while being filmed for our viewing enjoyment when they become unsafe as tall buildings are. Smaller structures are allowed to stand until they become hovels, owned by landlords, who live in tall buildings, until the shorter structures fall from lack of care.

If a home has a roof collapse, it may not even make the news. If a home has a plane crash into it, it may make the news, but no one talks about it around the water cooler as they do about a hotel or office building with a plane crash into it. If a shade tree falls on a house, it is dangerous for the tenants, but we don't decide we'll never go inside another house. We do, however, say that about tall buildings when we see one burning.

Years ago, the book and movie, "Towering Inferno" seemed to stem the tide of taller buildings for a while, as "China Syndrome" stopped the building of nuclear power plants. Donald Trump was unfazed about tall buildings, but he doesn't want to build the tallest building. He wants to build the most and the most garish tall buildings.

Malaysia wanted the tallest building, but will soon lose the recognition, as Dubai will replace them as the country with the tallest building, soon. Malaysia will still have the building, just not the tallest. A few miles from the currently tallest building are huts and working poor. Those surfs don't long to live in towering towers of decadence and luxury; they just long to have enough to eat, tomorrow.

How far have we come as a people? Not far, just taller and higher, reaching into the clouds and beyond ... to where?

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