Everywhere you go, you are likely to meet these very tall houses. Some of these mega structures run into hundreds of floors. It appears like a craze, some competition or sport. Investors with huge loads of cash are today investing in real estate. The idea is to come up with a fancy-looking and incredibly tall house. Unfortunately, the United States of America today houses some of the tallest buildings that the world has witnessed in its long history. Even in the face of the effects that these structures pose, it is surprising that the numbers are swelling. The authorities concerned with construction seem to be unwilling, unable or incapacitated o take a stern action. The world is not a safe place to be because of the rise in these tall structures. This paper examines in details some of the effects of high-rise houses.
The first effect of such buildings is the hindrance of the natural light from reaching the surface of the earth; the sunlight has for years been considered as a major factor in the maintenance of a healthy human body. The light is instrumental in helping the body to develop a healthy skin that can protect the skin from diseases. However, the development of high-rise structures ensures that most of our cities are full of shadows, and the direct sunlight does not reach the surface of the earth (Evans and Gary 236-555). In the same vein, plants need the light to make their food and have a robust health. In these circumstances, it has become complicated for the greens to develop fully.
A concentration of many tall buildings in the same area is detrimental to the earth structure; tall buildings exert a lot of pressure on the ground surface. At the first face of construction, a tall structure requires a firm foundation. Consequently, the concrete used at the level must be strong enough to sustain the weight that the engineers expect the building to impose. Looking at a situation where a lot of such structures are concentrated in one particular area, the pressure that they put on the earth's crust is immense. There is a lot of stress on the layers, and this may end up destroying the entire structure. In the long run, the earth may not be in a position to sustain that kind of pressure and ultimately give way. An earthquake is likely to occur. In the case of such a disaster, we will lose a lot of lives and economic gains.
The reduced walkability of the streets below the tall buildings; researchers have indicated that it’s hard walking in an area that is surrounded by tall buildings as compared to little houses. The belief is that people feel a little comfortable walking under tall buildings. Consequently, many of the individuals decide to choose other streets leading to congestion in the streets. At the same time, some people have innate fears of great height. Consequently, they try as much as possible to avoid such places and may find it even difficult working in such environments.
Ecological effects; the life of birds in the air is affected by his presence of the high rise buildings. Birds want an environment where they can fly freely. Essentially, the idea is that they have an effect on the ecological set up where man and animals are entitled to some space. It must be clear that even birds of the air have a role that they play in the ecosystem. The birds will, therefore, keep away from such areas.
The isolating effects of the people living in high-rise residential apartments; some tall buildings are residential houses. In such circumstances the persons living in such high-rise apartments are in what appears to a world of their own. They are much separated from the realities of the general life below. Such people do not live in community neighborhoods where people enjoy a lot of community services together (Gifford and Robert 2-7). The effect of living in such houses is the denial of an opportunity to form a bond that usually exists among residents in the same community.
Also, tall buildings have an effect on the flight paths. In most cases, the construction of such buildings may take place on the routes of the planes, and this may hinder free flight of airplanes. The operators will have to work out alternative ways. The process may cause a lot of inconvenience to the authorities. Furthermore, in some rare cases, some small air crafts have had fatal accidents where they crash into the buildings. Some people may die in the process.
Tall buildings hinder the movements of winds. It is most common in the main towns that have the presence of many tall buildings concentrated in one area. In such situations, there would be limited circulation of fresh air. Rooms will be stuffy, and this would lead to poor health and reduced quality of life. Human beings need an area where there is free circulation of air. In the absence of the same, their lives would be severely affected.
Finally, the location of tall houses among those of low height affects their coexistence. In most instances, thigh rise homes affect the quality of life that the people living in the built little houses are supposed to enjoy (Rizwan et al 120-128). As mentioned earlier, the tall houses will hinder the tiny houses from getting the direct sunlight. The radiation of heat from such homes also affects the temperature conditions in little houses. The temperatures may rise, and this will make some of the environments unfit for living.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are is an increase in the construction of tall houses. Much as people may fancy them for their beauty and glamor, they have a broad range of effects that will affect the living standard of humanity and even other animals such as birds. It is, therefore, advisable to shun such types of construction.
References
Evans, Gary W. "The built environment and mental health." Journal of Urban Health 80.4 (2003): 536-555.
Gifford, Robert. "The consequences of living in high-rise buildings." Architectural science review 50.1 (2007): 2-17.
Rizwan, Ahmed Memon, Leung YC Dennis, and L. I. U. Chunho. "A review on the generation, determination and mitigation of Urban Heat Island."Journal of Environmental Sciences 20.1 (2008): 120-128.
