Building a Skyscraper Out of Diamond Sounds Perfect Until #shorts

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]You'd think a skyscraper made of solid diamond would be indestructible. After all, it's the hardest material on Earth, but in reality, it's a literal death trap. Here's the first calculation.

[00:00:10]Diamond is a master at conducting heat.

[00:00:12]On a sunny day, this building wouldn't just be bright. It would be a 400° oven.

[00:00:17]You'd be cooked before your first meeting. But it gets worse. Diamond is hard, but it's incredibly brittle. While steel skyscrapers are built to bend with the wind, Diamond refuses. One minor earthquake doesn't cause a crack. It causes the entire structure to shatter like glass. You'd be left with a billion-dollar pile of diamond dust and a very bad day for the insurance company. Would you risk a visit?

[00:00:38]Subscribe if you'd rather stick to boring old steel.