Contents 4
Contributors 5
1 Introduction: High-Rise Living in Asian Cities 6
1.1 Compact City, High Density and High-Rise Housing 6
1.2 Hong Kong and Singapore -- Highest Density and Tallest Living Environment in the World 9
1.3 High-Rise Living in Hong Kong and Singapore 10
References 12
2 Tall Building Living in High Density Cities: A Comparison of Hong Kong and Singapore 14
2.1 Introduction 14
2.2 Tall Buildings and High Density 15
2.3 Super Tall Living in Hong Kong and Singapore 18
2.3.1 Methodology 18
2.3.2 Main Findings 19
2.3.2.1 (A) Satisfaction of Living Height 19
2.3.2.2 (B) Perception of Tall Building 21
2.3.2.3 (C) Highest Preferred Living Height 22
2.3.2.4 (D) Concerns of High-Rise Living 23
2.4 Conclusion 25
Note 27
References 27
3 Physical Environment of Tall Residential Buildings: The Case of Hong Kong 29
3.1 Introduction 29
3.2 Urban Morphology and Its Implications: The High Rise, High Density Compact Setting 29
3.3 A Compact City: Case of Hong Kong 31
3.4 Environmental Challenges Related to Compact High-Rise Built Form 35
3.4.1 Air Quality, Wind Environment and Air Ventilation 37
3.4.2 Daylighting and Ventilation Within High-Rise Housing Units 42
3.4.3 Occupants' Satisfaction of Open Space in Tall Residential Buildings 46
3.4.4 Noise Pollution 47
3.5 Conclusion 48
References 49
4 The Planning and Design of Environmentally Sustainable High-Rises 52
4.1 Introduction 52
4.2 Sustainability Advantages 53
4.2.1 Less Land Consumption 53
4.2.2 Higher Energy Efficiency and Lower Resource Consumptions 53
4.2.3 Better Liveability 54
4.3 Sustainability Disadvantages 54
4.3.1 Insufficient Urban and Housing Land 54
4.3.2 High Operation Energy 55
4.3.3 Less Desirable Living Environment 55
4.4 Planning Strategies and Design Principles for Enhancing Environmental Sustainability 55
4.4.1 Vertical Organization of Land Uses 56
4.4.2 Energy-Efficient Envelope Design 57
4.4.3 Optimizing Spatial Configuration 59
4.4.4 Sky Open Space and Landscaping 61
4.4.5 Provision of Balconies 62
4.5 Conclusion 63
References 64
5 Garden and Ecology in the Sky 68
5.1 Introduction 68
5.2 From Periphery to Centre-Stage 69
5.3 Greening the Verticality 72
5.4 Ecological Design 78
5.5 Conclusion 80
References 81
6 Legislation and Safety of Tall Residential Buildings 83
6.1 Introduction 83
6.2 From High-Density to High-Rise 84
6.3 Issue of Safety Under the Legislation for the Habitat 86
6.4 Aspects of Legislative Control 90
6.5 A Review of the Evolution of Buildings Ordinance in Hong Kong 93
6.6 Comparative Review of Legislation in Asian Cities 102
6.6.1 Density 102
6.6.2 Structural Safety 103
6.6.3 Fire Safety 103
6.6.4 Fire Escape and Fire Fighting 105
6.7 A Positive Approach for Safety 106
6.7.1 Building Award in Singapore 107
6.7.2 Intelligent Building Index 111
6.8 Concluding Remarks 112
References 113
7 The Value of Clean Air in High-Density Urban Areas 115
7.1 Introduction 115
7.2 Literature Review 116
7.3 Research Design 118
7.3.1 The Simulation Model 119
7.3.2 Boundary Conditions 120
7.3.3 The Hedonic Pricing Model 121
7.4 Empirical Results 122
7.5 Conclusion 128
References 129
8 Liveability of Tall Residential Buildings 131
8.1 Introduction 131
8.2 Understanding Liveability 132
8.2.1 High-Rise Living Concerns 134
8.2.2 High-Rise Living Attractions 135
8.3 Liveability of Singapore Public Housing 137
8.3.1 The Trajectory and Typology of High-Rise Development 137
8.3.2 Comprehensive Planning, Well Located Housing and Services 138
8.3.3 Continual Improvement 142
8.3.4 Resident Appreciation and Concerns 144
8.4 Conclusion 146
References 147
9 Community Development in Tall Residential Buildings 150
9.1 Introduction 150
9.2 Methodological Flaws and Biased Findings 151
9.3 Two Approaches to Urban Community 153
9.3.1 Public Aspects of Community 154
9.3.2 Private Aspects of Community 162
9.4 The Shifting Basis of Contemporary Community 166
9.5 Conclusion: Community in Neighbourhoods 168
Appendix: Original Data Sources 172
The Observation of the Use of Public Space 172
The Measurement of Time Use 172
The Measurement of Social Networks 173
Follow-up Probes: 174
References 174
10 In the March of High-Rise 179
10.1 Technological Aspects 180
10.2 Socio-Economic Aspects 182
10.3 Definitely Not the Last Word 185
References 185
Index 187