This story was excerpted with permission from Urban Living in the Couv. Originally posted 7/15/2024.
The title question is of course highly subjective and I have touched on this issue in the past. I have done additional research to complement my own experiences in various mid-rise and high-rise buildings.
Here in Vancouver our tallest residential towers are in modest high-rise buildings. Typically high-rise buildings have ten or more floors and can rise to heights approaching 300 feet. Generally once a tower exceeds 300 feet it is called a skyscraper although there are other metrics as well. Even our bigger sister to the south only has a handful of residential buildings in the 300+ foot height range. Here in Vancouver the tallest residential buildings fall into the lower half of the high-rise range with 10-15 floors, but most of our urban residential developments are mid-rise structures with 5-8 floors.
If we divide buildings into ground floor, lower floors 2-4, mid floors 5-9, and upper floors 10+ we can gauge the pros and cons of these various levels in a buildings. This is highly subjective but I am using some research data as well.
Ground Floor:
These units have the advantage of being accessible without the use of stairs or the elevator. They are ideal for residents with pets that need to go outside frequently. The ground floor offers a bit more safety in an emergency as these residents will be the first out. They tend to have a slight disadvantage in security since there is either direct street access or at least windows at street level. Some ground units offer special zoning to operate a commercial business; in Vancouver, Parkview ground units that front Columbia Street have such zoning. Ground floor units will also have the most street noise. Furthermore in congested traffic situations auto exhaust may affect residents when windows are open. Ground floor units also tend to lack the views found in upper floors.
Low-rise Floors 2-4:
Once off the ground floor security improves by eliminating street access to the residence. As you move up in height off the street noise levels start to diminish a bit but the type of noise will change as you ascend. Floors 2-4 tend to be only a touch less noisy than the ground floor. When sitting on a patio or near open windows conversations talking place by passing pedestrians on the street may be intelligible and that can be distracting. I find the 4th floor to be borderline on this but it certainly depends on your hearing and perception. Although the view can improve on these floors, you will find that most of Vancouver's city streets are lined with lovely deciduous trees that will block most of your view. In the winter months when these trees are bare the view improves. These trees however can act as a sound block that keeps distant ambient city noises like airplanes and sirens a bit suppressed. Typically as you rise up in height there tends to be more wind. In most of Downtown Vancouver floors 2-4 are not that windy but in suburban areas where most local structures are 1-2 floors the 3rd and 4th floors can get real breezy. These lower floors offer residents the quickest access in the elevator and the stairs remain a viable option as well depending on your level of fitness.
Mid-rise Floors 5-9:
I believe that these floors are the sweet spot in just about any building. Once you ascend to the 5th floor you have a good shot at being above the trees which opens up the view a bit. It should be noted that the trees around Esther Short Park are quite a bit taller than the 5th floor but most sidewalk trees are not. From the 5th floor up I find that conversations at street level become background noise, muffled and unintelligible which makes them less distracting. Here in Vancouver you will notice that these floors often become breezy although in the more dense areas like the Columbia Street near the Park and parts of the Waterfront not so much. Any river facing units along the waterfront will be breezy regardless of what floor you are on.
From these mid levels you will actually get a lot more ambient city noise. Sirens and honking car horns from many blocks away are able to be heard but in a background noise fashion. These same noises right in front of the building will also be a bit less loud as you are a fair distance above them and the trees along the street below provide some suppression. There are a handful of units in Vancouver right along Interstate 5 that the height will not be able to overcome. Some of the east facing units in Frontier Block at 500 Broadway are very loud with highway noise even on the 5th and 6th floors. Generally as you get higher off the street you get more and more background noise that is usually easier for people to "tune out." Because Downtown Vancouver only has a handful of high-rise buildings I find that views from the 6-9th floors to be mostly unobstructed. Of course there are some exceptions like the Waterfront and Columbia Street near the park where building densities are higher.
Mid-levels have excellent security unless you have a rogue Spiderman running around ;) These floors are also still in the range of stairway use of course depending on your physical condition. In an emergency getting down 5 to 9 flights is manageable for most people. I also find that around the 7th floor or so you start to get that "up high" feeling with a little detachment from the city below. Some people may get that at different heights perhaps higher or lower. I'm not talking about that "top of the world" feeling, that typically comes at much higher heights, but you are definitely get that in the city feel.
High-rise Floors 10+:
High-rise buildings with 10 or more floors will vary largely on the city and location within that city as to the "feeling" you get on these upper floors. In Vancouver the 10th floor is high enough to see over the majority of buildings and we do not have our high rise buildings clumped close enough to create a view blockage. In Portland the "top of the world" feeling will require a trip up to the 30th floor or so. Here in Vancouver you start to feel that a bit at floor 10. Vancouver's downtown only has 8 completed or topped out towers with 10 or more floors and one other that is proposed. So once you are up that high you are in rarefied air for Downtown Vancouver. From these heights you will find that it gets quite windy and you may even experience some building sway. Any sway in smaller high-rises is subtle. Really tall skyscrapers can sway several feet in the wind, sway experienced in Vancouver would most likely be measured in inches not feet. Once above the 10th floor it is highly unlikely you will find any trees tall enough to impede your view. Some of the old growth cedars and firs in Esther Short Park are above 100 feet tall so those are a notable exception. From the 11th floor at Viewpoint in Vancouver Center 3 you are standing nearly 150 feet off the ground and can see over the trees in the park. As it stands now there are only two condo projects that offer units more than 100 feet off the street in Vancouver, these are Viewpoint and Kirkland Tower.
Noise levels on high-rise floors will be almost entirely background city noise. Vancouver does tend to have a fair bit of air traffic overhead that also tends to be noisy and this is one area where the higher up locations will be noisier. Street noise is so muffled as to be more of a background drone with few if any discernible characteristics. You can sit on an outdoor patio on these higher floors and have a conversation at normal voice levels. As I mentioned earlier the higher you are the more likely you will hear noises from far away distances. They won't be loud but they will be heard. From these loftier perches you will also get a distinct detachment from the city below and for some that is preferable to the more immersive experience with the city at the lower floor levels. From a high rise the city becomes more of an interaction like a body of water or a mountain in the distance rather than the tactile experience of immersion in that city. Lower floors offer more immersion and higher floors offer more detachment.
Finally high-rise floors will be the last to be evacuated in an emergency and should one need to use the stairs it will be quite an ordeal for all but the fittest among us. Elevator times tend to get a bit longer as well.
In general higher up costs more, so there is that. Bargains can be found closer to the ground; see what I did there ;) Keep in mind that higher floors tend to be warmer and lower floors tend to be cooler so your HVAC costs will reflect this. Up high cheaper in the winter more expensive in the summer and vice versa for lower floors. Typically another advantage to higher up is the lack of flying insects and other creepy crawlers. Generally once you get up about 6-8 floors the bug count goes way down.
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