A high-rise building is a building divided into at least 10 regular floors, which is shorter than a skyscraper. Its architectural height must be less than 100 meters.

There is no minimum height for a high-rise building; if it is constructed along a hillside with at least 10 floors, it may qualify even if it never rises more than a few meters off the ground. It need not be entirely self-supporting either: for example it can be braced against the side of a cliff.

A high-rise building must be based on solid ground (not floating). It must also be enclosed by a weather-proof facade, otherwise it is classified as an open-air structure.