building mass height
The height of a building defined by its enclosed volume plus any designed elements which the roof tapers into.
The building mass height is the vertical distance in any building from its base to the highest architectural element whose form flows smoothly from the building's enclosed or occupiable volume.
By definition, the building mass height cannot be lower than a building's roof height nor higher than its architectural height. It may be equal to one or the other, or fall between those two heights. An ornamental feature above the roof is counted in the building mass height only when the roof tapers into it.
Parapets and screen walls are always included in the building mass height because they contribute to the building's apparent volume. Spires, finials, chimneys, and sculptures rising from a flat roof are not counted in this field, but they are counted when they rise from the upper point of a pyramid, ziggurat, dome, or slope at the top of a roof. Thin elements rising to the side of a pointed or tapering roof, which do not rise directly from the high point, are not counted.
The purpose of the building mass height is to enable a satisfactory height ranking that only counts features visually integral to the shape of a building. This field is used to determine the 1000 Tallest Skyscrapers in the World.
For more information, see the Building Mass Height FAQ page.