The role of public spaces of high-rise residential buildings in increasing the resident's social interactions (Case study: International Tower of Tehran)

Due to the growth of city population and a sharp rise in land cost, families living in high-rise buildings have been on the increase over the last several years. Therefore, people have always looked for the ways to reduce the negative health effects of living in high stories. One of the most important factors that could play a key role in reducing these effects is public open spaces in the residential areas. A well-designed open space can make them appropriate for residents’ social interactions. These spaces can be regarded as the continuation of private lives that their existence is necessary for a residential complex. The hypothesis of this study was that the residents’ social interactions decrease by gradual increase in height. International tower of Tehran was selected as the case study and the impact of increasing height on social interactions was studied. The questionnaires were randomly distributed among 70 residents of the tower. After collecting the questionnaires, the data and information related to each question were categorized. The result of analyzing the data showed that a gradual increase in height has a linear relation with the social interaction of residents. Finally, according to this relation, and also in order to prevent a decline in social interactions between residents, some strategies were suggested to promote the level of social interactions in high-rise residential complexes.