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High rise buildings are increasingly common these days because of the demand for high-density development. They let people live as well as work in close proximity to amenities. Though, there are extra considerations to make during designing a high rise building compared to that when one doesn’t have to deal with designing suburban homes or two-story office buildings. Below are a few of them.

The Importance Of Safety During Construction

Construction is a dangerous job. High rise construction is still more dangerous. Falling from the roof of a two-story home will lead to broken bones. Whereas falling from the 20th floor without proper fall protection is lethal. Risk management is one of the ways to identify and mitigate these risks. Safety training is given to the people before they begin to work.

A number of risks only exist at certain stages of the project. For example, you don’t have to stress about crane collapses during preliminary activities. The damage from high winds gusts can exist at each and every stage of construction, but still, risks will increase with height. The solution to these issues is planning for the risks that come with each stage of construction and systematically eliminating or lessening them. Having plans in place so that you can continue to work when high winds or bad weather can reduce the disruptions to your construction schedule.

The Value Of Policies That Improve Everyone’s Safety

The risk of someone getting hurt lessens if safety training for everyone before the start of the project becomes a standard practice as they don’t know much. Motivating open lines of communication can assist managers to know when safety hazards need to be addressed or employees are being pushed to cut corners on safety to meet performance standards. Prohibit smoking on the premises to minimize the risk of fires and explosions as well as make monitoring of this part as a regular routine.

The Necessity of Planning for Emergencies

When the power goes off, infrastructure like lights in common areas as well as elevators goes out. This develops a risk to the safety of people living or working in the high rises. That’s the reason why many building codes make emergency generators compulsory for both new buildings as well as old buildings.

Backup power must offer a minimum supply power to emergency lights and exit signs, and the backup power must be different from that of an on-site generator which you may keep running. Work with electrical engineers to set backup systems that meet the local building code, and consider backups of the backups. If you can keep elevators running or give near-normal power levels while everything else has gone dark, the building occupants will be grateful for it.

The Long-Term Impact of Design Choices

Fall protection methods used at the time of construction include netting, standpipes, and sidewalk sheds. Though, buildings should be designed with the safety of occupants as well as maintenance staff. Make sure that no one climbs around on the outside of the building without adequate fall protection to fix air conditioners or clean gutters. Set up the railing, barricades, and other safety features where a fall might occur, and make it durable to last for years.

Conclusion

High-rise buildings have various benefits. On the other hand, they bring with them significant risks that can only lessen with detailed planning and constant vigilance.