Published April 24, 2026 | Version v1
Book chapter Open

The relationship between high-rise buildings and climate change: A literature review and bibliometric analysis.

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Master Student., Gazi University, Institute of Science, Department of Architecture, Ankara-Türkiye. furkanzncrkrn77@gmail.com
  • 2. Prof. Dr., Gazi University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Ankara-Türkiye. asenad@gazi.edu.tr

Contributors

Description

There are so many definitions of “high-rise building” in world literature. Apart from technical definitions, the definition of high-rise building varies by dictionaries of the relevant language or in different organizations. The concept used as “yüksek yapılar” in Turkish corresponds to the concepts of “tall (high-rise) buildings” in English and “Hochhaus” in German. Furthermore, different technical classification methods have been developed to define the height of tall buildings, and the status of being tall is determined according to the limits established by these methods. German standards define a tall building as “a structure exceeding 22 meters in height “ (Uçar, 2013). In the UK, the criteria required for the definition of a high-rise building are to provide users with mechanical vertical circulation such as elevators, to have a height that allows intervention with firefighting equipment, and to have 7-10 floors or a height of 23-30 meters (Designing Buildings, 2024). The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), established in 1969 to gather information on tall buildings, guide design decisions, and shed light on the cities of the future, has set criteria for the definition of a tall building (CTBUH, n.d.). Today, it is recognized worldwide for its non-profit academic work.
These criteria are not mathematically expressed in terms of the generally accepted height and number of floors. The CTBUH defines tall buildings under three main headings:
● Contextual height 
● Proportion
● Technology compatible with high-rise structures 

CTBUH states that buildings meeting at least one of three main criteria will be defined as tall buildings. Although the number of floors is considered questionable as a criterion for tall buildings due to the variability of floor heights, generally buildings over 50 meters are considered tall buildings, those over 200 meters are skyscrapers, those exceeding 300 meters are classified as super tall, and those over 600 meters are classified as mega tall structures (CTBUH, n.d.). While tall building definitions are established worldwide in this manner, in Türkiye they are determined by regulations and laws. According to fire regulations, a high-rise building is defined as a building exceeding 21.50 m (for residential buildings) and 30.50 m (for other buildings). Above this height, specific fire, evacuation, and mechanical system requirements apply (Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi, 2018).

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Additional details

Identifiers

ISBN
979-10-7023-053-4

Dates

Issued
2026-04-24

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