A high-rise in Hong Kong

High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper, more abundant building materials. Buildings between and 491 feet (23 m to 150 m) high are, by some standards, considered high-rises. Buildings taller than 492 feet (150 m) are classified as skyscrapers. The average height of a level is around 13 feet (4 m) high, thus a 79 foot (24 m) tall building would comprise 6 floors.

The materials used for the structural system of high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete and steel. Most American style skyscrapers have a steel frame, while residential tower blocks are usually constructed out of concrete.

Although the exact definition is immaterial, various bodies have tried to define what 'high-rise' means:

• The International Conference on Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings defined a high-rise as "any structure where the height can have a serious impact on evacuation"
• The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines a high-rise as "a building having many stories".
• Massachusetts General Laws define a high-rise as being higher than 70 feet (21 m).
• Most building engineers, inspectors, architects and similar professions define a high-rise as a building that is at least 75 feet (23 m) tall.

High-rise structures pose particular design challenges for structural and geotechnical engineers, particularly if situated in a seismically active region or if the underlying soils have geotechnical risk factors such as high compressibility or bay mud. They also pose serious challenges to firefighters during emergencies in high-rise structures. New and old building design, building systems like the building standpipe system, HVAC systems (Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning), fire sprinkler system and other things like stairwell and elevator evacuations pose significant problems.

High-rise apartment building of these dimensions had already flourished in antiquity: ancient Roman insulae in Rome and other imperial cities reached up to 10 and more stories,^[1] and more than 200 stairs.^[2] Several emperors, beginning with Augustus (r. 30 BC-14 AD), tried to establish limits of 20-25 m for multi-story buildings, but met only with limited success.^[3][4] Excavations have found traces of apartment buildings of over ten stories in height built to house plebs made homeless by the Great Fire of Rome. The remains of six- and seven-storey Roman commercial complexes (roughly analogous to modern shopping centres) have also been unearthed; some of these are thought to have been over high. The Yemeni city of Shibam contains a number of buildings of over in height dating from the 16th century, mainly constructed of baked mud bricks.

References

1. ↑ Gregory S. Aldrete: "Daily Life in the Roman City: Rome, Pompeii and Ostia", 2004, ISBN 9780313331749, p.79f.
2. ↑ Martial, Epigrams, 27
3. ↑ Strabo, 5.3.7
4. ↑ Alexander G. McKay: Römische Häuser, Villen und Paläste, Feldmeilen 1984, ISBN 3761105851 p. 231

See also

• Skyscraper
• Tower block
• Earthquake engineering
• Wind engineering

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