 Ventilation was also a challenge, as smoke drifting into offices from the streets and the fumes from the gas lighting made air quality a major health issue.A steam-driven, forced-draft ventilation system was invented in 1860 and became widely used in taller buildings by the 1870s, overcoming much of the problem.Improvements in iron piping permitted running hot and cold water and sanitation facilities to be installed throughout taller buildings for the first time.