This year is FMA’s 50th anniversary! Over the last five decades, FMA has helped thousands of metal fabrication professionals advance their careers and the industry. As the industry has advanced, so have the lives of people in the U.S. and throughout the world. In the second installment of this blog series, we’re looking at ambitious buildings and structures made with fabricated metal that provided the blueprint for the modern cities we visit and live in today. 

This is the second installment of a five-part blog series

When people think of some of the most famous buildings and structures in the world, they usually focus on the exterior design. But to make those stunning exteriors possible, a sound structure was essential — that was metal. 

After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, the city needed to be rebuilt. Since Chicago was closed in by Lake Michigan and numerous railroad tracks, buildings in Chicago needed to go up, not out. The world’s first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago in 1885. Before that, building architecture relied on brick or stone masonry walls for support and those materials limited building height. 

To reach new heights, the Home Insurance Building was supported internally and externally with a fire-proof metal frame. Although it was only 10 stories tall, the building was considered a real cloud tickler to people of its time. By comparison, today’s tallest skyscraper tops off at 162 stories and over 2,500 feet high. 

The famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his fondness of using concrete for exterior buildings. But as strong as concrete is, steel architecture is still needed to make it structurally sound. For instance, 700 tons of structural steel and 7,000 cubic feet of concrete were used to form the unique structure and shell of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designed by Wright. 

Arguably one of the most fascinating man-made structures created in the 21st century, the Supertree Grove in Singapore is a horticulture haven that looks otherworldly. Ranging from about 80 to 165 feet tall, each supertree showcases tropical flowers and plants that weave in and out of its branch-like steel framework. 

The modern cities that we visit and call home to today simply wouldn’t be possible, let alone full of remarkable architecture, without structural steel and other metal materials. The next time you find yourself in front of a skyscraper or striking structure, take a moment to imagine the metal interior that made the building’s existence possible.