Function - Materials

Skyscrapers are built from strong and durable materials. materials with different features are used to form the various parts of a skyscrapers.

Material	Type	Use	Element	Advantages	Disadvantages	Cost/Weight
Brick	Ordinary brick	Walls of early skyscrapers	Burned clay	-Cheap -Strong when compressed	-Heavy
Reinforced Concrete	Fine-grain concrete with high-strength steel	Skyscraper beams and columns	Steel rods placed in concrete (cement, water, small stones) before it hardens	-Cheap -Fireproof -Weatherproof -Chemical proof -Molds into any shape	-May crack when it cools and hardens
Steel	High-strength steel	Skyscraper beams and columns	Iron with a trace of carbon	-Extremely strong when compressed and stretched - one of the most resilient materials used in construction	-Rusts -Cannot withstand particularly high temperatures
Aluminium	Aluminium alloy	Skyscraper exteriors and window frames	Aluminium with magnesium and copper	-Lightweight -Not rusty -Strong when compressed and stretched	-Expensive
Glass	Float glass	Early skyscraper windows	Properly heated and cooled down silica sand, calcium, oxide, soda and magnesium	-Original	-Not environmentally-friendly -Penetrates heat
	Body-tinted glass	Skyscraper exteriors and windows	Normal float glass with added colorants	-Absorbs solar radiation to lessen heat penetration -Attractive when colored - architectural aspect for outside appearance
	Reflective glass	Skyscraper exteriors and windows	Ordinary float glass with a metallic coating	-Reduces solar heat -Produces a mirror effect, preventing the subject from viewing through the glass	-The coating can be easily damaged before installation of compatibility sealants -Cannot be heat strengthened or tempered as the heat will destroy the coating