by Global Urbanist

Created on: November 20, 2009   Last Updated: November 23, 2009

A jet liner exploding through a skyscraper displays the unique risks of tall buildings and airplanes. How these unique risks are mitigated results in how safe these structures are. In the case of commercial airplanes and highrise buildings there is an incentive to address problems because they impact a large group of people. This incentive can create a process of risk management that results in a very safe environment. Commercial aviation infrastructure is more complicated than a highway system, but a flight is safer than a drive.(1) Following this logic a tall building should be safer than a single story structure.

Statistics on fire safety from the U.S. show that highrise buildings are safer with half the fatality rate compared to all other structures.(2) Ironically highrise buildings also have a higher injury rate, which represents the larger impact of a fire in a tall building. More people are affected, but fewer die because of the vigilant attention to fire safety in highrise structures. Sprinkler systems, evacuation plans, and special procedures for firefighting lead to a less lethal tall building compared to a lowrise.

Resident associations of a condominium tower have different priorities from that of a townhouse community. In the condominium fire safety is more of a priority because each unit relies on the other for structural integrity. With a unit above, a unit below, on both sides, and across the hall, a fire has a major impact. In a townhouse a fire would only affect the two neighbouring units. This results in a condo's stricter control of fire hazards. No balcony barbecues, no gas lines, no propane tanks, are all common ordinances in highrise condo codes, but rare to find in a townhouse association's rules. With these restrictions one would assume fewer fire risk is better addressed in condominiums than townhouses.

Due to the large impact of risks in tall buildings, extra attention is not only given to fire risk, but to other risks as well. Structural inspections of tall buildings are mandated at regularly scheduled intervals as opposed to lowrise structures like houses that would not likely receive an inspection until they were sold or renovated. Managing security risk is another advantage of inhabiting a dense vertical environment.

The large number of inhabitants serviced by few access points is a disadvantage in a fire, but conducive to making a 24 concierge practical for security. This may explain why banking offices prefer the security in highrises instead of sprawling campuses. Without argument the risks are greater in a tall tower, but it does not mean that they are less safe. The large impact that risks pose promotes an incentive to manage the risks. A process of risk management in tall towers eventually creates an environment safer than lowrises. If the process of risk mitigation is ignored due to unenforced regulations or poor facility management then circumstances for catastrophic failures exist.

When assessing the safety of a tall tower the question to ask is the same as if one assessed an airplane trip. How confident are you of the processes, systems, and regulations that support this infrastructure? (1) Gardner, Dan (2008). Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart (2) U.S. Fire Administration, Topical Fire Research Series,Highrise Fires, Volume 2, Issue 18, (2002). retrieved from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v2i18-508 .pdf

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