Last edited 23 Jul 2018

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 to 10 storeys or 23m to 30m.

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 300m.
Megatall buildings exceeding 600m.
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] Find out more

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