High Rise Design

Tall buildings emerged in the late nineteenth century in

the United States of America. They constituted called

“American Building Type,” meaning that most important

tall buildings were built in the U.S.A.

Today, they are worldwide architectural phenomenon.

Many tall buildings are built worldwide, especially in Asiancountries, such as China, Korea, Japan, and Malaysia.

• Defined as a multi-story structure 35 meter < x <100 meters in height,

which is divided at regular intervals into occupied levels, or 12 – 39

floor levels (building with unknown height).

In Malaysia, < 12 levels = High Rise

Source : Emporis Standards Committee (one of the worlds largest property resources and source of

information about buildings around the world.)

What is High Rise Design?

Social Implications

• Impact,

•Effect

•Urban Identity

•LocationEconomic Feasibility

•Time

•Cost

•Manpower

•Spatial Efficiency

•Rentability

Architecture + Urban

•Expression

• Infrastructure

Environmental Implication

Building By-Laws

• Implications

•Restrictions

•Opportunities

Components of High Rise Design

The construction of edifices reaching higher and higher into the sky – and

to a certain extent still is – an expression of power and strength. (Munich Re

Group, 2000)

In today’s dimensions, why high-rise?

• Projection of client’s image and identity: One reason is indisputably the

need for a “landmark”; in other words, to express economic and

corporate power and domination in impressive visual terms; being

distinctive.

• Efficient land use :The steadily rising price of land in prime locations and

an increasingly scarce supply have made it essential to make optimum

use of the air space. It is also due to their significant economic benefits in

dense urban land use (Ali M.M. & Moon K.S., 2007).

• Concentric: Concentration of people in one place; creation of jobs,

commercial hub, one stop center; a node if described in urban context.

ARCHITECTURE + URBAN

5

In urban design context, identity is the characteristic that allow us to

differentiate one space from another – Distinctiveness.

“ City order is related to the way in

which people perceive or read and

understand the environment”

(Moughtin, 2003:26).

The formation of environmental

image is a complex process results

from an interaction between

observer and environment, so the

image is built by association.

BUILDING THE IMAGE

Why we need high

rise ?

Work

Service

Urban Land Use

entertainment

Infrastructure & Facilities

Source: Ng, E. (2010). Designing high-density cities for social and environmental sustainability. London: Earthscan.

SOCIAL IMPACT OF HIGH RISE

• Cause psychological stress and feel claustrophobic by

creating a rat-cage mentality

• Create social conflicts due to high people density lead to

competition for the use of facilities and space

• Lack of community oriented social life

• Reduced privacy and invoke the feeling of loss of control and

anxiety

• Lose direct contact with nature

Source: Kodmany, K., & Ali, M. (2013). Arguments against tall buildings. In The future of the city: Tall buildings and urban design. Southampton: WIT Press.

SOCIAL EFFECTS OF HIGH RISE

Source: MODI, S. (2014). Social issues; architecture/design. Improving the social sustainability of high rise.

EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL SPACE

Source: MODI, S. (2014). Social issues; architecture/design. Improving the social sustainability of high rise.

EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL SPACE

Social Space in High rise

Public-private

interface

Optimization

Access

Footprint

Space Design

Ownership and

maintenance

Cost

Building regulation

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTION OF

SOCIAL SPACE IN HIGH RISE?

Maximised Profit/ Investment

Cost & benefits

Marketability & cost effective

Maximised plot ratio

Client

Design StrategiesProject

Management + Technical

Responsive + Efficient Design

Spatial Planning

Architect

HIGH RISE DESIGN

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, “Feasibility” is the

capability of being completed or carried out.

The client’s vision/ objectives must be critically translated andprojected effectively so that not only the design can be made

highly sellable, but becomes ‘responsible and responsive’ to give

comfort ultimately to the end users (purchasers/ tenants).

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY

Economic Feasibility

Market Feasibility

Financial Feasibility

Fiscal Feasibility

Kheir Al-Kodmany & Mir M. Ali (2013) have highlighted the three major

branches which influences the economic feasibility of high rise

projects from their publication titled The Future of the City: Tall

Buildings and Urban Design.

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY

Clients to ask themselves:

• “Is there a demand for the structure?”

• “Will the market support such a project?”

• There may be huge demands for the building during the planning, but

prospective tenants may no longer be available once the building is

ready.

• Growth factors to be considered:

• Projection of employment growth by occupation

• Income level in the particular area which provides a clear guide to

demand of such spaces in the future.

• Vacancy rate can be minimised if:

• Comprehensive planning during early phase; supported by

community and government.• The specific future function of the neighbourhood is clear.

MARKET FEASIBILITY

Clients to be clear on:

• Rate of occupancy of the building

• Determining the value of a project is challenging because there are

different ways to measure the value of future cash flows. Because of the

time value of money, a dollar earned in the future won’t be worth as

much as one earned today.

Costing involved for the life of the project:

• Development costs (Before) – Materials, Labour, Fees, Documents, etc.

• Operating costs ( During) – Utilities, Maintenances, etc.

• Revenues (After) – Lease, Purchases, Services, other source of profits, etc.

FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY (COSTING)

• Directly affected by the impact of the development to the area.

• Impact of skyline/ identity of city: municipal finances, infrastructures, andquality of life.

Positive Impact Negative Impact

FICAL FEASIBILITY (TAX, PUBLIC

REVENUES, PUBLIC DEBT)

• The optimum building height of tall buildings is the height at which an owner gets

the most economical rate or return.

• It is the height where the owner can build and receive the highest percentage of

return from rent.

• Therefore, it is meaningless if the client maxes out the potential of the allowed plot

ratio of the land but the building is under occupied/ utilised.

• Consider the following which have effect on/from the building height:

• Materials

• Structural limits

• Elevator systems

• Fire protection

• Environmental impact

• Economy

• Infrastructure• Unless it is a secondary concern, developers look up to the building to be

monumental.

• Compete with rival neighbours to gain more prestige, profile, attention, publicity,etc.

ECONOMIC BUILDING HEIGHT

Synthesis: Spatial efficiency has to be seen in a way that not only benefits

the client economically, but the end users as well ( prospective

purchasers/ tenants/ staffs/ etc.) for the space to be flexible, creative and

conducive to stay, work and/ or play. Spaces relevant will also be easier to

be managed, maintained and productive.

SPATIAL EFFICIENCY

High-rise office buildings are more expensive to construct per square

meter, they produce less usable space and their operation costs are more

expensive than conventional office buildings. The space efficiency, as well

as the shape and geometry of the high-rise building need to satisfy the

value and cost of the development equation. Space efficiency, which is

determined by the size of the floor slab, dimension of the structural

elements and rationalized core, goes along with the financial benefit.

Building efficiency (net-to-gross floor area) of

multi-story office developments (above)

SPACE EFFICIENCY vs

STRUCUTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Space efficiency is not only about the ratio of NFA to GFA.

Ozgen and Sev (2009) highlighted that the floor slab shape also has a vital

importance as well, since it influences the following:

• interior space planning

• layout of office equipments

• exterior building envelope

• structural system and component sizes, utilizing from natural light and

air

• access to escape routes, etc.

Generally the more simple and regular the floor slab shape is, the easier it is

to respond to user requirements in terms of

space planning and furnishing. Square, circular, hexagonal, octagonal and

similar plan forms are more space efficient than the rectangular plans withhigh aspect ratios and irregular shapes (Ozgen and Sev,2009) .

SPACE EFFICIENCY vs

FLOOR SLAB SHAPE (PLAN)

Floor slab efficiency is adversely affected by the

height of a high-rise office building, as the core

and structural elements expand relatively to the

overall floor slab to satisfy the requirements of

vertical circulation as well as lateral-load

resistance.

Tall buildings with high slenderness ratio are

inherently more expensive to build and suffer from

adverse floor slab efficiency (Ozgen and Sev,2009) .

SPACE EFFICIENCY vs

FLOOR SLAB SHAPE (PLAN)

Traditionally the function of tall buildings has been as commercial

office buildings. Other usages, such as residential, mixed-use, and hotel

tower developments have since rapidly increase.(Mir M. Ali & Moon K.S. 2007)

Tall buildings in different regions, Year 2006

(above)

FUNCTION OF HIGH RISE

This classification of structural

systems is presented more as a

guideline and should be treated as

such.

Still need to consider other design

and service criteria:

• to building shape,

• aspect ratio,

• architectural functions,

• load conditions,

• building stability &• site constraints.

STRUCTURAL CLASSIFICATION

Steel

Concrete

Transfer Beam-Brunswick Building, 1965

Shear Wall

INTERIOR STRUCTURE

Tube Structure-John Hancock

Center, Chicago

Steel Diagrid-St. Mary Axe,

-London

EXTERIOR STRUCUTRE

NATIONAL LAND CODE

•Categories of land use.

•Sub-division, partition & amalgamation of lands.

•Issuance of final title (continuation).

TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING GUIDELINES

•Zoning Proposal, Set-Back, Plot Ratio.

•Car parking requirements.

UNIFORM BUILDING BY-LAWS (UBBL)

•Fire-fighting

•Ventilation

HOUSING DEVELOPERS / STRATA TITLE

ACT

•Specifies the obligation and requirement of Property Developer.

STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

• PART I - Definitions and interpretations used in the by-laws

• PART II - The procedures for submitting plans to the Local

Authority

• PART III - The required space [dimensions], light and ventilation

• PART IV - The required temporary works during construction

• PART V - Structural requirements and considerations

• PART VI - Constructional requirements

• PART VII - Passive fire protection requirements

• PART VIII - Active fire protection requirements

• PART IX - Miscellaneous definitions and references and, the

procedures on reporting on building

BUILDING BY-LAW 1985

• Professionals, i.e: architect + engineers accountable and

responsible for the drawings and documents submitted to LA.

• Certify the stage of the development under relevant expertise.

• Building failures – professionals are to blame for breaches of

duty.

• Economic loses – professional’s certifications have been

disputed.

IMPLICATIONS

• Its enforcement is governed by States = different at each

State.

• The by-laws does not reflect the “state-of-art”, ever changing

constructional technologies and sciences.

• Irrelevant – ignorant .

• Envelope height and setbacks.

• Lack of incentive to incorporate energy efficient design/

installations

RESTRICTIONS

• Public space at ground level – retail development more

viable at street level.

• More environmental standards to be applied to maintain

building efficiency.

• Taking account into daylight and thermal mass – window,

façade, wall.

• Be innovative for the fire protection provision.

• Urban greenery.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Maunsell F. (2002), Tall Buildings and Sustainability Report. London: Corporation of

London

• Munich Re Group (2000), High Rise Buildings. Germany: Munich Reinsurance

Company

• Kheir Al-Kodmany & Mir M. Ali (2013), The Future of the City: Tall Buildings and

Urban Design. USA: WIT Press

• Mir M. Ali & Moon K.S. (2007), Structural Developments in Tall Buildings: Current

Trends and Future Prospects. Australia: University of Sydney

• Sev A. & Ozgen A. (2009), Space Efficiency in High Rise Office Buildings

• Ng, E. (2010). Designing high-density cities for social and environmental

sustainability. London: Earthscan.

• Kodmany, K., & Ali, M. (2013). Arguments against tall buildings. In The future of the

city: Tall buildings and urban design. Southampton: WIT Press.

REFERENCE