Searches of several electronic databases (PsycInfo, SocIndex, Emerald Insight, MedPub, and Google) were conducted using search terms “tall building,” “high-rise building,” and “skyscraper.” The searches were limited to English-language publications. Finally, limitations of the review and future research are discussed. This article will begin with occupants’ perception of what is considered a tall building, followed by their perceived benefits and concerns. Although critically important, high density and urban design implications for transportation, utilities, and services infrastructures ( Ali and Aksamija, 2008) are beyond the scope of this very short review. Only themes emerged from this search of the literature that are directly related to the distinguishing feature of tall buildings (i.e., tallness) are discussed. This article reviews the scant research literature published in diverse disciplines in the past two decades on occupants’ experiences of living and working in tall buildings. It is therefore important to understand how people perceive, think, and behave in this new habitat. Workers would have little choice if their workplace is in a tall building (e.g., Chung and Park, 2006). In cities such as Hong Kong, where tall building is the house form, people’s choice is which floor of a tall building rather than which form of housing.
Since the 1990s, high-rise living has been marketed as an urban, luxurious lifestyle for the childless and the affluent: for example, in Australia ( Costello, 2005), Switzerland ( Panczak et al., 2013), and Canada ( Langlois, 2012). In the 1960s, high-rise buildings in developed countries were primarily public housing for low-income residents (e.g., Gillis, 1977). People have choices of housing, but their choices are often limited by income and location. A recent report ( Oldfield et al., 2014) echoes such a need in concluding, “research … on those who live and work at height, is a significant research priority” (p. More recently, Gifford (2007) provided a comprehensive review of empirical studies conducted mostly in the 1960s–1980s outside Asia and the Middle East, in which the effects of living in high-rise buildings on social behaviors and mental health were examined.Ī grand challenge for researchers is to understand how new work and living conditions resulting from the development of megacities where these tall buildings reside affect us ( Sorqvist, 2016). There was some research conducted in the 1960–1970s (e.g., Conway and Adam, 1977), when tall buildings were typically about 20 storeys high. However, few studies have focused on perception, satisfaction and comfort, and physical and psychological well-being of occupants of these tall buildings. 1 Extensive research has focused on technical aspects of erecting such tall buildings. Tall buildings of 30 to over 100 storeys are becoming common in cities around the world, especially in Asian and Middle-East countries. Given the scarcity of research regarding human responses, this mini-review aims to encourage behavioral scientists to collaborate with building science researchers to advance our understanding of human–environmental relations in this new habitat. Note that the methodologies used in many of the self-reported studies are relatively weak. However, occupants also expressed concerns about height, difficulty with vertical transportation, strong wind, and escape in case of fire. Occupants perceive better view, less noise, and better air quality as benefits for living and working on higher floors than on lower floors. To assess what is already known about living and working in these tall buildings and to provide future directions for research, this article reviews recent empirical studies on occupants’ perception of tall buildings, and physiological and psychological experiences in relation to its tallness. Extensive research has focused on the technical aspects of erecting tall buildings, yet few recent studies have been conducted to examine occupants’ experiences and responses. In the past few decades, tall buildings of 30 to over 100 storeys are becoming more common in modern cities around the world, especially in Asia and the Middle East, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada.
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