Do skyscrapers scrape the sky?

<p>Why is the Burj Khalifa so tall? That’s what 5-year-old Simon wants to know. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and it’s located in Dubai. 6-year-old Isabel, who lives in Dubai, visited the tower and gives us the bird’s eye view in this episode! Plus, Janny Gédéon, architecture educator and founder of ArchForKids answers lots more questions about tall buildings: How are tall buildings built? How do they stay up? Why are so many buildings squares or rectangles? How do they make buildings that are taller than cranes?</p> <p><strong>Resources</strong></p> <p>Architecture workshops and online learning: <a href="https://archforkids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ArchForKids</a></p> <p>Download our learning guides: <a href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/a1/ca/f9ab4b4a4607896504de775bf3a0/do-skyscrapers-scrape-the-sky.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PDF</a> | <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16k0ve9hQR4fgbDmPsBlr1SDN0vbhr45vFmMarNV2iio/copy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Slides</a> | <a href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/b8/fc/da1629684850a22000c2a2cb8b72/but-why-kids-167-buildings-transcript.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transcript</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Why is the Burj Khalifa so tall? - Simon, 5, Chicago</p> </blockquote> <ul> <li><p>The Burj Khalifa is 160 stories tall. It measures over 2,716 feet tall – or if you think in metric that’s 828 meters. “If you put 450 grown ups stacked on top of each other, that would be the height of the building,” Janny Gedeon says.</p></li> <li><p>Architecture is the science of designing buildings. Architects consider the purpose of the building and what it will be used for and then they design that space.</p></li> <li><p>Square and rectangular buildings are less expensive to build, but architects do like to design buildings in interesting shapes. Check out the <a href="https://www.newyorkitecture.com/lipstick-building/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lipstick Building</a> in New York or the <a href="https://www.theg