Building height
For the purposes of Approved Document B Volumes 1 and 2.
- The height of a building is measured as shown in Appendix D, Diagram D4.
- The height of the floor of the top storey above ground level is measured as shown in Appendix D, Diagram D6.
Ref Approved document B, Fire Safety, Volume 2, Buildings other than dwellinghouses (2019 edition).
At 828 m and 163 floors, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE has been the world’s tallest building since 2010. For more information, see Tallest buildings in the world.
Classifications of building height include:
- Low rise buildings.
- Mid-rise buildings.
- High rise buildings.
- Skyscrapers.
- Supertall buildings.
- Megatall buildings.
- Groundscrapers.
- Super-slender buildings.
- Buildings of a great height.
- Buildings of a very great height.
- Multi-storey buildings.
- Small building.
- Tall buildings.
See also: Height.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Approved documents.
- Building Regulations.
- Datum.
- Floor area.
- Gross floor area.
- Gross internal area.
- High-rise building.
- Height.
- International Property Measurement Standards.
- Medium-rise building.
- Net internal area NIA.
- Ordnance Datum.
- Storey.
- Tall building.
- Tallest buildings in the world.
- Total useful floor area.
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