June 07, 2007

The trend of ‘living higher above the ground’ seeped in the local urban scenario some two decades back and caught up so fast that high-rise towers and residential complexes rapidly began punctuating Karachi’s skyline. Other cities like Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta where housing previously expanded horizontally also followed the trend of vertical housing. The population explosion within the country in general and the urban influx in particular has forced the city governments to avoid sprawl and thus encourage the vertical growth of cities

As early as 1925, the Swiss architect Le Corbusier wrote: “We must increase the density of the population, we must greatly increase planted areas …. We must therefore build the city vertically.”

As if on cue, the post-World War II decades saw an unprecedented mushrooming of high-rise apartments as an economical and feasible housing solution for millions of people as high-rise tower blocks housed more people over a lesser floor area. Globally, over the decades, the trend caught up so fast that the turn of the 21th century became a witness to a boom in the construction of high-rise apartments so much so that the underlying concept of high-rise living has changed from economy and security to luxury. Now they are seen as a symbol of wealth and affluence not only in western urban societies but in the Asian context as well.

Topping the list of the world’s tallest high-rise apartment buildings is the 323-metre high Q1 Tower in Australia with its 78 stories. In the United States and Australia, high-rise apartment buildings combine residential units with offices and hotels, whereas in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc., they are predominantly seen as mixed-use developments. They consist mainly of residential units with retail stores and entertainment facilities, attracting investors and buyers alike as the residents have access to all kinds of conveniences and services within the apartment complexes.

This trend of ‘living higher above the ground’ seeped in the local urban scenario some two decades back and caught up so fast that high-rise towers and residential complexes rapidly began punctuating Karachi’s skyline. Other cities like Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta, where housing previously expanded horizontally, also began following the trend of vertical housing.

The population explosion within the country in general and the urban influx in particular has forced the city governments to avoid sprawl and thus encourage the vertical growth of cities.

The main factor behind the construction boom of high-rise apartment buildings that we witness these days in Karachi and other cities lies in the attempt by construction firms to find new business models. Nowadays, construction firms and developers are investing exorbitant amount of money in these projects. Adding to the popularity of high-rises is the luxurious image that is associated with high-rise apartment buildings.

These tower blocks are envisaged as mixed-use developments where apart from having residential units, the projects boast of commercial, retail, corporate, entertainment and, at times, community facilities as well. These are made further attractive for buyers by elaborate landscape features that clearly spell “luxury living”.

Recent examples are the under-construction high-rise apartment towers near the Karachi creek – the fast sprouting sea-facing high-risers dotting the profile of the coast – and the mixed-use high-rise complex near the Margalla Hills in Islamabad. They all promise iconic affluence and luxury which can be ascribed to the convenience and spectacular views they offer. Residents of high-rise apartments can now enjoy splendid natural views and fresh air without having to worry about their privacy, having access to all kinds of amenities within their apartment complexes.

Faisal, the managing director of a construction company asserts the feasibility of investing in high-rise apartment projects, “Construction companies have been stepping up efforts to build high-rises because they can sell apartment units for good prices. This is because, from an investor’s point of view, high-rise apartment projects enjoy economies of scale in construction and procurement, there is efficient land use as more unused space is available at ground level which can be used for commercial or mixed-use activities. In addition, there is more floor area efficiency as we can accommodate more residential units on lesser floor area. Thus, such projects render more returns per square-feet of floor area. However, the biggest drive for construction firms and developers is that there is a huge consumer demand for high-rise apartment projects and we are just cashing in on the booming opportunity.”

For the apartment savvy consumers, it seems that life in high-rises is like heaven on earth. Many attribute it to the social, financial and personal advantages that are associated with ‘living high’. High-rises, particularly the top category ones, come with a tag of ‘luxury living’ attached to it which makes them appealing for those who can afford them.

With the growing split in the family unit, the social scenario is witness to more and more nuclear families with lower net incomes per year/per head. Therefore, the obvious choice of families is to go for affordable apartments that ensures greater security and privacy, while offering a sense of communal living where there is a greater interaction and bondage with the neighbours, if one chooses.

Apartment dwellers enjoy the shared facilities for a monthly or yearly maintenance fee. These facilities include elevators, underground water reservoirs to ensure a constant supply of water, parking facilities, standby generators, security personnel, on-hand plumbers, electricians and other workers for any uncalled for emergency. This is managed by an apartment union which takes care of all the maintenance work relieving the occupants of all the hassles associated with such facilities that individual house owners commonly face on a daily basis.

Shaheena, 29, lives in a sea-facing high-rise apartment complex with her husband, two kids and her mother-in-law. Living here for the last five years, for her an apartment is the perfect and preferred mode of living. “I would never move out of the apartment and opt for a bungalow because here luxury and comfort comes with a lot of security. We have a wonderful rapport with our neighbours and they have become like an extended family. The on-call apartment union workers take care of whatever little problems we face. What more can one ask for,” asserts Shaheena.

However, the bad experiences Farah, a resident of an apartment complex in PECHS has faced make her think otherwise. Farah complains, “Had it not been for the monetary constraints, we would have moved out of this place. There are so many units on each floor that it has become overcrowded. We have sewerage problems time and again, and nobody is ready to take the blame and responsibility for it. When we moved in, the apartment features promised a standby generator but within a year it stopped working and now we have to use the stairs when the electricity goes off.”

With the high-rise construction boom showing no signs of abating thanks to consumers’ ever-growing need for abodes, apartment buildings keep getting taller, and 12-story apartment buildings are now no longer considered tall.

However, some voice concerns that the intensifying competition among local governments and construction firms for building high-rises without devising sufficient safety measures only results in the speedy and unsafe construction of taller high-rises.

Experts say that the reckless construction of high-risers that have no evacuation floors, rooftops and evacuation elevators could be dangerous. They call for stronger safety regulations for high-risers, the majority of which have no balconies, fire exits and are poorly ventilated, inviting serious consequences in case of fire.

The death of a 12-year-old boy who fell from the rooftop of an exclusive apartment building hit headlines recently, proving the fact that building regulations regarding higher parapets on accessible rooftops and other safety measures are ruthlessly being trampled upon.

High-rise structures pose particular design challenges for structural and geo-technical engineers and safety challenges for occupants, particularly if situated in a seismically-active region.

The memory of Margalla Towers’ tragedy as the high-riser crumbled to dust, is still painfully fresh to assert the fact that life in high-rise apartments is not all bliss. The tremours left the citizens wondering if they were safe in high-rise buildings as many realised that it was extremely difficult for them to evacuate quickly from these structures as taking elevators at such times is not advisable.

In a country where building authorities are ignorant or deliberately unconcerned about the cheap building materials used in construction, where no safety building regulations are followed and no building codes regarding earthquake resistant structures adhered to, and lack of provision of emergency evacuation measures, living in high-risers can be quite dangerous.

This is not to say that the construction of high-rise apartments should be discouraged by local authorities because they have many technical, social and economical advantages which cannot be overlooked. The need is for the building authorities all over the country to wake up from their slumber and revise building codes, and ensure the use of quality building materials and the provision of emergency evacuation measures.

It is only when this is achieved that residing in high-rise apartments can be termed as metaphoric ‘living high’.