Residential towers provide housing and sometimes parking. They were first built in England and the US after WWII. Some public housing projects have failed, but commercial residential towers are well-maintained. Luxury residential towers are popular, but owning a residence can be expensive. The popularity of residential towers declined in England after a collapse in 1968, but new construction techniques have renewed interest. The tallest residential towers are in Australia, with Trump World Tower only seventh in the top ten.
Residential towers are extremely tall skyscrapers primarily dedicated to providing housing and sometimes parking for residents. These are also sometimes called tower blocks, multiple housing units (MDUs), or high-rise apartment buildings. Unlike many high-rise buildings that house offices and other businesses, residential towers are dedicated to residences, although they may have a shop or two and some offices. Building residential towers is one way to create more living space, especially in busy urban environments.
Some of the earliest examples of residential towers or tower blocks were built in England and the United States. The construction of a few high-rise buildings to meet housing needs after the Second World War bombing of England was often seen as a quick way to solve housing problems. In the United States, the first residential tower was Castle Village which opened in New York in 1939. Some of the first residential towers built in the United States became quite popular and were well maintained. Others have been specifically designed to help people in need of low-income housing.
Many public housing projects that have been built have become massive failures, resulting in slums and high rates of violent crime and drug use. In response, the US is now tearing down some of the worst residential towers, because they are in such a state of disrepair. Commercial residential towers fared much better as they are designed to make a profit. Therefore the maintenance interest is higher.
Especially popular now are those residential towers that feature luxury apartments and housing, attractive to city dwellers with large incomes. Many people actually own their residences within residential towers and participate in housing councils to keep the buildings in excellent condition. Due to high monthly maintenance and/or homeowner expenses, owning a residence in a residential tower can be just as expensive, if not more, than owning a freestanding home.
In England, the popularity of residential towers declined significantly when part of the Ronan Point skyscraper collapsed in 1968, just weeks after people moved into the building. The collapse was caused by a gas explosion and sadly left four people dead and 17 others injured. With safer construction techniques, the UK is seeing renewed interest in building new residential towers, especially as it moves to address the housing shortage in urban settings.
There are some incredibly tall residential towers in the world. The two tallest are in Australia, with Q1 tower 1058 feet (322.48 m) tall. Surprisingly, America’s tallest residential tower, Trump World Tower, is only seventh in the top ten. It was preceded by another tower in Australia, two towers in Dubai and residential towers in Moscow and Seoul.
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