Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Towers, Temples and Skyscrapers (Orca Timeline, 1)

Price: null - $29.95
(as of Sep 17, 2026 04:54:43 UTC – Details)

★“This great STEAM offering has multiple applications and will be useful for report writers and aspiring architects alike.”―Booklist, starred review

★“Finely detailed inside and outside…Broad in scope, perceptively organized, and enriched with fascinating entries.”―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Why did they build it so high?

People have been constructing tall buildings for thousands of years, for many different reasons. Castle walls kept people safe. Utility towers transmit TV and cell-phone signals. Observatories give people a bird’s-eye view of the world. Beautiful buildings stand out in the crowd. Skyscrapers provide housing for a lot of people. There are some good reasons for building up, and a few bad ones as well.

With a growing global population, we will need more and more space to live, learn and work in. But what does that mean for the health of the planet? Can we do it sustainably? Tall buildings may be part of the answer. From the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Burj Khalifa and the Shanghai Tower, Why Humans Build Up asks why and how we build higher and higher, and what that means for the planet.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orca Book Publishers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1459821882
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1459821880
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 – 12 years
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.5 x 10.75 inches
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 – 7
Best Sellers Rank: #654,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #36 in Children’s Books on Building & Construction #204 in Children’s Architecture Books (Books) #1,825 in Children’s Environment Books (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (3) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });