High-rise building

A high-rise building is defined variously as a building in which:

• The number of storeys means occupants need to use a lift to reach their destination
• The height is beyond the reach of available fire-fighting equipment.
• The height can have a serious impact on evacuation.

Typically this is considered to include buildings of more than 7-10 storeys or 23-30 m, although the Home Quality Mark defines high rise as a building that is 18 meters or over (the height historically linked with the reach of fire and rescue service equipment) and this height has also been adopted by guidance following the Hackett Review.

A low-rise building is one which is not tall enough to be classified as high-rise.

Other definitions of buildings in relation to their height include:

• Mid-rise buildings of five to ten storeys, equipped with lifts.
• Skyscraper of 40 storeys or more.
• Supertall buildings exceeding 300 m.
• Megatall buildings exceeding 600 m.
• Groundscrapers that extend horizontally over a large distance while only being of a low to medium height.
• Super-slender buildings which are pencil-thin and of 50-90+ storeys.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• 7 Engineering Wonders of the World.
• Building height.
• Fire risk in high-rise and super high-rise buildings DG 533.
• Groundscraper.
• Low-rise building.
• Megastructure.
• Megatall.
• Multi-storey structure.
• Secondary ventilation stacks in tall buildings.
• Skyscraper.
• Storey.
• Supertall.
• Super-slender.
• Tall building.
• Tallest buildings in the world.
• The Mile.
• Top 10 skyscrapers located in the UAE.
• Tower.
• Types of building.