In many cases, view is more important. A condominium with a clear view of Lumpini Park, where the view will not be blocked in the future, is worth more than another condominium in the same building that does not have a park view. Construction costs increase based on the height of a building, but not on a straight line basis.

Another factor to take into consideration is the efficiency of a building -- the ratio of lettable space to the total built area. Developers make money on the sellable area and the incentive is to maximise the ratio of the sellable area compared to built area.

Shorter buildings are more efficient than high buildings because the latter require more room for lifts and need a stronger structure due to the load of the building and stronger wind loads. More of the built area in a high-rise building is required to accommodate these elements reducing the lettable/sellable area.

After a certain height, there are diminishing marginal returns where the extra cost of construction and reduction in the ratio of sellable area compared to built area means that going higher does not make financial sense. Height does matter, especially for residential buildings, but developers need to find the height that produces the best return, navigating the challenges of creating something both iconic and innovative against developing a financially viable, long-term asset.

By : www.bangkokpost.com