By Mark D. Hagel, PhD, P.Eng.

The invention of skeleton frame construction, which creates the building’s primary load-bearing role using a concrete or steel frame “skeleton,” led to the removal of the load-bearing function of masonry in the late 19^th century. The first building to use a steel-frame skeleton in North America was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, completed in 1885. It is also considered the world’s first skyscraper (Figure 1).

The removal of …