High rise domestic buildings: inventory

Data Returns: Building Information

20. Data returns submitted to the HRI indicate that the most common completion date for domestic high rise buildings in Scotland is the 1960s (45%, 351 buildings), followed by the 2000s (207 buildings) and 1970s (138 buildings). The oldest two buildings were completed before the 1950s. The estimated remaining lifespan of high rise buildings ranges from 5 years (4 buildings) to 100 years (4 buildings), where this information is available. The most commonly reported remaining lifespan was 30 years (326 buildings), although a low question completion rate (79%) means that the true lifespan distribution may be different to that collected. Information on the projected lifespan of a building is not included in Building Warrants or Building Standards certification, and feedback received through the HRI data collection indicated that this was subjective and sometimes challenging data to provide, involving economic as well as structural considerations.

21. Reported building heights range from 18m to 71.5m, with a median height of 31.25m. The tallest reported high rises are in Glasgow. On average, Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire have the tallest high rise building estates, with a median height of 44m. The tallest buildings were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, with a median height of 38.5m and 39m respectively (see Figure 2). The reported number of storeys ranges from 4 to 26, with a median of 11.

22. There are a reported 46,619 flats in high rise buildings in Scotland an increase of 89 from 2020.