There is a clear high-rise definition in the Federal Republic of Germany from the point of view of building and due to increased security requirements for buildings that extend over five floors. This is specified in the model construction regulations of the ARGE Bau and accordingly in the individual country building regulations (for example, Hessian building regulations paragraph two):
High-rise buildings are properties in which the floor of at least one common room is more than 22 meters above the natural or defined surface of the site.
The reason for the determination of this 22-meter (72 feet) limit is essentially from the need for effective use of aerial ladders. Experiences have shown that rescue and extinguishing work with the commonly used equipment of the fire brigade is more difficult above such level.
The mentioned definition only applies to Germany. There is no transnational definition of what is meant by a high-rise. Various definitions are therefore in circulation. For the sake of simplicity, a building in the SKYLINE ATLAS is considered a high-rise building if it has 10 storeys and more.
