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A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building. In some areas it may be referred to as an "MDU", standing for "Multi Dwelling Unit".〔(BICSI ) McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002, ISBN 0-07-138211-9〕 In the United States, such a structure is referred to as an apartment building or office building, while a group of such buildings is called an apartment complex or office complex. High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper, more abundant building materials. The materials used for the structural system of 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, although a building with fifty or more stories is generally considered a skyscraper.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=skyscraper )〕 High-rise structures pose particular design challenges for structural and geotechnical engineers, particularly if situated in a seismically active region or if the underlying soils have geotechnical risk factors such as high compressibility or bay mud. They also pose serious challenges to firefighters during emergencies in high-rise structures. New and old building design, building systems like the building standpipe system, HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), fire sprinkler system and other things like stairwell and elevator evacuations pose significant problems. Studies are often required to ensure that pedestrian wind comfort and wind danger concerns are addressed. In order to allow less wind exposure, to transmit more daylight to the ground and to appear more slender, many high-rises have a design with setbacks. Apartment buildings have technical and economic advantages in areas of high population density, and have become a distinctive feature of housing accommodation in virtually all densely populated urban areas around the world. In contrast with low-rise and single-family houses, apartment blocks accommodate more inhabitants per unit of area of land and decrease the cost of municipal infrastructure. ==Definition== Various bodies have defined "high-rise": *Emporis Standards defines a high-rise as "A multi-story structure between 35–100 meters tall, or a building of unknown height from 12–39 floors."〔(Data Standards: high-rise building (ESN 18727) ), Emporis Standards. Accessed online 16 October 2009.〕 *According to the building code of Hyderabad, India, a high-rise building is one with four floors or more, or one 15 meters or more in height.〔p. 57, ''Urban redevelopment: a study of high-rise buildings'', K. Narayan Reddy, Concept Publishing Company, 1996, ISBN 81-7022-531-0.〕 *The ''New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'' defines a high-rise as "a building having many storeys". *The ''International Conference on Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings'' defined a high-rise as "any structure where the height can have a serious impact on evacuation" *In the U.S., the National Fire Protection Association defines a high-rise as being higher than 75 feet (23 meters), or about 7 stories.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NFPA )〕 *Most building engineers, inspectors, architects and similar professions define a high-rise as a building that is at least 75 feet (23 m) tall. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tower block」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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