101 Things I Learned® in Urban Design School by Matthew Frederick & Vikas Mehta

Author:Matthew Frederick & Vikas Mehta
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2018-04-03T04:00:00+00:00

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Building taller is more efficient…up to a point.

Buildings of a given construction type usually become less expensive as they are made taller. A 3-story wood-frame building, for example, will cost less per square foot than a similar 2-story building, all else remaining constant. Steel and concrete buildings also grow less expensive, but only up to a point. Beyond about 30 stories, square foot costs increase. This is due to many factors, including construction site logistics; more intensive systems for foundation, superstructure, egress, elevator, fire suppression, and mechanicals; underground parking; and up-front costs to address environmental, social, traffic, economic, and legal concerns.

Higher construction costs mean higher rental rates for the finished spaces. These rates are also driven upward by the inherent inefficiency of high-rise floor plans, which give a higher percentage of their area to stairs, corridors, elevators, and mechanical services. Tall buildings are land efficient but floor plan inefficient.

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