Name for a tall residential building

[lindenharp]

I know that apartment = flat.  What would be the proper British term for an apartment building; ie., a residential building at least 10-15 stories high.  (And are the levels called "stories"?)

I want to describe a cliff as being higher than a 12-story apartment building.  If necessary, I can compare it to some other kind of high-rise, such as an

Comments

[lefaym]

A block of flats.

[dynapink]

Block of flats, or tower block.

[lindenharp]

Thank you both. How does one refer to the height of a block of flats?

[wendymr]

X storeys high. If you're on a particular level, then you're on the Xth floor (bearing in mind that, in the UK, the first floor is one level above ground).

[lindenharp]

Thanks! I can be approximate about the number of storeys. I just want to translate height into a recognizable equivalent.

Nice icon. :-)

[wendymr]

Thanks! It was made by someone very talented ;)

[eleanorb]

Just to say a British English speaker probably wouldn't make that comparison. No one lives far from the sea and we know what cliffs look like and how tall they can be.

Height comparisons would usually be to certain iconic buildings which we may or may not have seen- The Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower, St Paul's or to natural features such as The White Cliffs of Dover. Or people guess at the actual height in metres or feet (depending on their age). Nothing much, building wise, in the majority of the UK is over abut 20 storeys, which really isn't big when compared to cliffs.

[ethelfleda]

Total agreement here - height units of measurements are in terms of recognisable buildings, not storeys. And where I grew up was regarded as a 'very long way from the sea' - and it was only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the coast.

[inamac]

Another agreement. 12 storeys would be about... what? A hundred feet? Hardly worth comparison with a building.

[dimestore_romeo]

IAWTC - definitely a comparison to natural features or famous monuments.

But it's true that we probably wouldn't make the comparison between a block of flats and a cliff. I live in the centre of England and it's still only about a couple of hours to the sea.

[screwthepast]

I would be more inclined to use the word "floor" rather than "story", i.e. we live on the second floor.