High-rise building facts for kids

A high-rise building is a very tall building. These buildings are used for many things. Some are apartment buildings where people live. Others are office buildings where people work. You might also find hotels or shops inside them. Sometimes, a high-rise can even have apartments, offices, and shops all in one building!

If a high-rise is mostly for living, it's often called a tower block or an "MDU." MDU stands for "Multi Dwelling Unit," which just means it has many homes. A high-rise that is super tall, often with 50 or more floors, is usually called a skyscraper.

Why We Have Tall Buildings

High-rise buildings became possible because of two big inventions. The first was the elevator (also called a lift). Imagine climbing 50 flights of stairs every day! Elevators made it easy to reach the top floors.

The second reason was new and cheaper building materials. Before, buildings could only go so high. But with materials like reinforced concrete and steel, builders could make much stronger and taller structures.

Building Materials for High-Rises

Most high-rise buildings today are made using reinforced concrete or steel.

• Steel frames are often used for very tall skyscrapers, especially in places like North America. Steel is very strong and flexible.
• Concrete is often used for residential tower blocks. Concrete is also very strong and can be shaped easily.

Both materials help make sure these tall buildings are safe and stable.

What's the Difference: High-Rise vs. Skyscraper?

It can be a bit confusing to tell the difference between a high-rise, a tower block, and a skyscraper.

• A high-rise is a general term for any tall building.
• A tower block usually means a high-rise that is mainly for homes (apartments).
• A skyscraper is a high-rise that is extremely tall. While there's no exact rule, a building with about 50 or more stories is often considered a skyscraper. They are usually the tallest buildings in a city's skyline.

Images for kids

• 

  A newer high-rise tower in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. These tall buildings often stand out in city centers.

• 

  The Majakka high-rise building in Kalasatama, Helsinki.

• 

  These tower blocks were built in Shibam, Yemen, in the 16th century. They are the tallest mudbrick buildings in the world, some more than 30 meters (about 98 feet) high!

• 

  A sliding ladder for firefighters from 1904. Fire safety is very important in tall buildings.

• 

  A residential block in Steinfurt, Westphalia, Germany, shaped like a "Y."

• 

  Many high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. Cities with limited space often build upwards.

• 

  Nowa Huta in Kraków, Poland, showing how high-rise areas can be planned.

• 

  Painted paneláks (prefabricated apartment blocks) in Prague, Czech Republic.

• 

  A renovated apartment building from 1963 in Bucharest, Romania. Many older high-rises are being updated today.

• 

  High-rise office buildings in La Défense, France.

• 

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

• 

  Flats in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland.

• 

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

• 

  Housing commission towers in Waterloo, Sydney, Australia.

• 

  "Street in the sky" at Park Hill, showing how some high-rises have walkways connecting apartments.

• 

  Salford tower blocks in 2001. In the UK, many tower blocks were built between the 1950s and 1970s.

See also

In Spanish: Edificio de gran altura para niños