There had to be a sufficiently powerful reason for the society to look towards new building process using new materials in such a precipitous way. What would have provided that impetus.
Here is a question.
Who built the first skyscrapers? Where were they? What kind of businesses?
This is a very "loose" web search answer to that,
Stephen Dare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyscraper#HistoryToday, skyscrapers are an increasingly common sight where land is expensive, as in the centres of big cities, because they provide such a high ratio of rentable floor space per unit area of land. They are built not just for economy of space; like temples and palaces of the past, skyscrapers are considered symbols of a city's economic power. Not only do they define the skyline, they help to define the city's identity.
The first statement is practical; it explains the
need for a skyscraper. The second is much more ideological, "How can we be a great place
without a skyscraper?" My issue is with the latter idea, especially sans the density.
Oh, and just for kicks:
http://www.bysp.com/projects/pdf/proj10/proj6.pdf
