Oops. About right then.
What Is a High-Rise Building?
A building is an enclosed structure that has walls, floors, a roof, and usually windows. “ A ‘ tall building ’is a multi-story structure in which most occupants depend on elevators [lifts] to reach their destinations. The most prominent tall buildings are called ‘ high-rise buildings ’in most countries and ‘ tower blocks ’in Britain and some European countries. The terms do not have internationally agreed definitions. ” However, a high-rise building can be defined as follows:
- “Any structure where the height can have a serious impact on evacuation ” ( The International Conference on Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings ) .
- “For most purposes, the cut-off point for high-rise buildings is around seven stories. Sometimes, seven stories or higher define a high-rise, and sometimes the definition is more than seven stories. Sometimes, the definition is stated in terms of linear height (feet or meters) rather than stories.”
- “ Generally, a high-rise structure is considered to be one that extends higher than the maximum reach of available fire-fighting equipment. In absolute numbers, this has been set variously between 75 feet (23 meters) and 100 feet (30 meters), ” or about seven to ten stories (depending on the slab-to-slab distance between floors).
The exact height above which a particular building is deemed a high-rise is specified by fire and building codes for the country, region, state, or city where the building is located. When the building exceeds the specified height, then fire, an ever-present danger in such facilities, must be fought by fire personnel from inside the building rather than from outside using fire hoses and ladders. For practicality and convenience such a multi-level or multi-story structure uses elevators as a vertical transportation system and, in addition, some utilize escalators to move people between lower floors.
https://booksite.elsevier.com/samplechapters/9781856175555/02~Chapter_1.pdf