Buildings of 75 metres or higher possible in Azerbaijan, official says

Deputy Head of the State Agency for Supervision of Safety in Construction of the Emergencies Ministry Elkhan Asadov has dismissed as unfounded opinions that Baku's relief and tectonic structure do not allow the construction of buildings above nine floors.

Until 2010, the construction of houses up to 39 metres with reinforced concrete frames was allowed on Azerbaijan's territory, Asadov told APA.

"After the improvement of building regulations, the construction of reinforced concrete monolithic frame buildings with connections of 58 metres in height is already allowed. Today, even in Azerbaijan, it is possible to erect buildings with a height of 75 metres and higher using metal structures. From a technical point of view, there are no obstacles here. Only everything should be done within the norms and rules. After working in a given area, geologists determine which building should be built in that area. It doesn't matter how many floors it has," the official said.

He noted that a designer must calculate the required points if he designs a building of 20-30, or even 40-50 floors if the master plan allows.

"From the point of view of urban planning, it is being considered whether it is possible to issue a permit to construct high-rise buildings in Baku. From a technical point of view, if the design was carried out correctly, and the construction was carried out in accordance with the project, there should be no problems. You probably remember the earthquake that took place in Japan in recent years. There was an earthquake with a force of about 9 points, and, as you can see, none of the 70-90-storey buildings collapsed. Low-rise old buildings collapsed. The human casualties were mainly due to the tsunami caused by the earthquake. This means that the design was carried out correctly, and the construction work was also carried out in accordance with the project," he said.