ABSTRACT
Tall buildings, also referred to as high-rise buildings or skyscrapers, are an integral component of modern cities, and these terms will be used synonymously in this book. A definition of a ‘tall building’ as given by Craighead (2009: 1) is as follows: ‘a multi-story structure in which most occupants depend on elevators (lifts) to reach their destinations’. Among the characteristics of such buildings are that the height can have a serious impact on evacuation, and that they extend to a height greater than the maximum reach of available fire-fighting equipment.
