A High-rise Building is a building whose floor of the highest level is at an altitude of more than 50 meters for buildings for residential use, and an altitude of more than 28 meters for other buildings.

What is the tallest high-rise building in France? 

The tallest high-rise building in France today is the First Tower in the La Défense business district, which rises to 231 meters. It will soon be overtaken by the Hermitage twin towers, still in La Défense, which will rise to an altitude of 323 meters, one meter less than the Eiffel Tower.

The Hermitage towers, scheduled for delivery before the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, will be the tallest in Europe, rising some 15 meters above The Shard in London.

In France, High Buildings meet very strict safety criteria, particularly in terms of fire prevention and evacuation. So here is how High Rise Buildings work.

What is a bunker? 

A IRB is a stack of "bunkers", one or two storeys high.

In the event of a fire, a "bunker" is designed so that flames and smoke do not spread.

The materials of a high-rise building have high fire resistance.

France has some of the strictest laws in the world in the construction phase and regular checks.

To find out more about High-rise Buildings, you can watch our video How to evacuate a High-rise Building (IGH) in the event of a fire?