Quote:
Originally Posted by sirkingwilliam
Techniacally it is. A high-rise building is a building that exceeds six stories in height and is equipped with elevators.
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Maybe by San Antonio's standards. Different cities have different classifications for what is labeled a highrise. These are set up usually by the fire department. In Austin 75 feet and higher is considered to be a highrise. That classification earns them certain rules/guidelines that they have to follow regarding fire proofing and other fire safety devices. That's why a lot of smaller projects in Austin are just under 75 feet tall, so they can avoid all the red tape that goes along with a "highrise classification". Getting a highrise classification means a certain type of insurance, (more expensive). So they try to avoid being labeled a highrise. This also has to do of course with zoning laws, and what heights are allowed in certain areas. Outside of downtown and Central Austin the heights are capped at 60 to 65 feet except for a few places. So most of the lowrise buildings in those areas are just under 60 to 65 feet. One example is Austin Community College's South Austin Campus which just a quarter of a mile from my house. The building is 62 feet tall with 3 floors.
Officially at Emporis, though, highrises are classified as any building that is 12 floors or taller or 114 feet 6 inches or taller. The cut off point is actually 115 feet, but the website's system actually rounds up when it's more 6 inches or more above the last foot. So 114 feet 6 inches tall would actually be listed at 115 feet, thus making it a highrise. The cutoff point at Emporis heightwise is 65 feet tall. The website typically doesn't list anything shorter than that, though some editors like myself who are statistical and data nerds do go ahead and list them anyway, but the heights aren't allowed to be listed then. The lowest height that could possibly be listed would be 64 feet 6 inches, which would then be rounded to 65 feet.