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Traditionally, engineers have designed the structure for high-rise buildings using all structural steel or all structurally reinforced concrete. There are advantages to each building material. “Composite structures” combine the two using structural steel columns and beams for floor construction, concrete on metal deck floors, and a concrete core structure that contains elevators and emergency stairwells.

Designers occasionally use concrete columns in buildings with structural steel beams supporting the floors. This reduces cost by about one fifth over steel columns, though concrete columns are bulkier and add weight to a structure. From an architectural perspective, concrete is more adaptable because it can be molded into interesting designs.

A number of the technology improvements have made high-rise concrete construction more competitive over the years, ranging from construction methods to enhancements to concrete mixes. Each has helped to increase concrete's advantages as the preferred building material for high-rise construction.

There are many reasons why owners, designers, engineers, and contractors, choose to work with concrete. For end users, there is reduced noise between units, less building sway from wind forces (wind shear) because the mass and stiffness of concrete dampens movement, and increased fire safety.