High-rise building facts for kids

A high-rise building is a tall building. It is used as an apartment building, office building or other functions, such as hotel or retail. Sometimes, multiple purposes are combined. A residential high-rise building is also called a tower block or an "MDU", standing for "Multi Dwelling Unit". A very tall high-rise building is called a skyscraper.

High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper and more abundant building materials. The materials used for high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete and steel. Most North American style skyscrapers have a steel frame, while residential blocks are usually constructed of concrete. There is no clear difference between a tower block and a skyscraper but a building with fifty or more stories is generally considered a skyscraper.

Images for kids

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  A newer high-rise tower in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., known as the Hub City. High-rise towers often anchor central business districts.

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  The Majakka high-rise building in Kalasatama, Helsinki

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  These tower blocks were built in Shibam, Yemen, in the 16th century, and are the tallest mudbrick buildings in the world, some more than 30 metres (98 ft) high.

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  Sliding ladder for firefighters in 1904

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  A residential block in Steinfurt, Westphalia, Germany, forming a "Y"

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  High-rise buildings, Hong Kong

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  Nowa Huta in Kraków, Poland, serves as one of the best examples of socialist realism, with its street hierarchy resembling that of Paris.

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  Painted paneláks in Prague, Czech Republic

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  Renovated apartment building from 1963 in Bucharest, Romania. With the 2010s, renovation of older apartment buildings in Eastern Europe has become common, especially in countries which get EU funds.

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  High-rise office buildings in La Défense, France

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  The three tower blocks of the Crossways Estate in Bow, London, United Kingdom, before their refurbishment

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  Flats in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland

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  Central Park Tower in Manhattan, New York City, the tallest residential high-rise tower in the world, December 2020

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  Housing commission towers in Waterloo, Sydney, Australia

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  "Street in the sky" at Park Hill

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  Salford tower blocks in 2001. In the UK, tower blocks were mostly built between the 1950s and 70s.

See also

In Spanish: Edificio de gran altura para niños