The Effects of High-Rise Buildings

Towards the end of the 19th century, with the rapid population growth and urbanization, the density of high-rise buildings in cities increased significantly. Before this period, they were mostly temples, mosques, churches, and they designed for political or religious purposes. Therefore, they did not have an impact as big as today on people and the environment in which people live. In fact, while the effects of high-rise buildings to the environment and human beings has been discussed from the very beginning. However, these have become an undeniable fact in the near future.

Construction

Besides that they are not only destroy large green areas and ecosystem which in there but also large vehicles such as cranes, diggers and dump trucks are all used continuously and for long periods of time in the construction of such buildings and generate large amounts of carbon emissions. Pumping materials constituting the main energy consumption in the daily operation of them, such as heating, cooling, basic services, and lights, requires enormous amounts of energy. So this means that even before the high-rise buildings are completed, the buildings could have a large carbon footprint.

Heat and Wind

Glass coating has become widespread in high-rise buildings as it is aesthetically pleasing and creates a prestigious image. As such buildings reflect the sun rays, they create heat islands around them. So they raise the temperature of the surrounding air. Even if they are not glass coating, they create a warmer area compared to other parts of the city because they absorb heat.

Moreover, these structures either block or change the direction of the air flow and winds that the city needs. They block the upper level winds, which are much stronger than the winds close to the ground, and direct them downwards and cause an undesirable circulation near to the buildings surface. Thus the natural flow of the wind is disturbed and bad weather prevails in the whole city.

Climate

Freezing temperatures, extremely hot summer temperatures, sudden and heavy rains and hail, and consequently floods… It is not right to blame high-rise buildings directly as the only reason for these. Nevertheless, it is not possible to ignore their negative impact on the environment. The effects of high-rise buildings on temperature and wind affect precipitation. Ultimately, this whole process affect the climate.

People

High-rise buildings, which are made to increase the quality of life, reduce the quality in many ways.

According to the researches;

• Basically, large number of people in high-rise dwellings provide great potential for social support. Yet, there are fewer friendships in high-rise buildings per capita than those in low-rise dwellings. In other words, they result in disappearing sense of neighborhood or community.
• Children living in high-rise buildings have more behavior problems than children who don’t live.
• High-rise buildings dwellers arouse 6 kind of common fears, which are fear of fall or jump from a high window, trapped inside during fire, entire building falling from earthquake, building might be attacked, strangers sharing their dwelling, becoming sick from contagious diseases.
• People living in high-rise buildings have less chance of survival when they have a fatal emergency like a heart attack. The reason for this is healthcare professionals take a long time to reach the patient.

References;

1

2

3