page_title: High-rise building
section_title: North America
hierarchical_section_title: High-rise building / Modern development / North America
caption_attribution_description: English: 432 Park Avenue, NYC in July 2014 - ground-up view of ongoing construction
context_page_description: A high-rise building is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. It is used as a residential, office building, or other functions including hotel, retail, or with multiple purposes combined. Residential high-rise buildings are also known as tower blocks and may be referred to as "MDUs", standing for "multi-dwelling unit". A very tall high-rise building is referred to as a skyscraper.
  High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator and less expensive, more abundant building materials.
  The materials used for the structural system of high-rise buildings are reinforced concrete and steel. Most North American style skyscrapers have a steel frame, while residential blocks are usually constructed of concrete. There is no clear difference between a tower block and a skyscraper, although a building with forty or more stories and taller than 150 m is generally considered a skyscraper.
caption: 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, the tallest residential high-rise tower in the world, under construction in July 2014
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