Nowadays building achievements are characterized by engineering-technically complex buildings. Construction of tower buildings was already familiar during the antiquity and also in the territory of Latvia, where towers on the Baltic tribes’ hillforts guarded fortified wooden construction complexes. German knights started to build freestanding stone tower-castles in the conquered lands which were gradually included in the fortress building. The medieval city was surrounded by a defensive wall with guard towers and gate towers, but the freestanding bell towers were landmarks in the fortified city building and gradually became significant components of public and sacral construction volume. The medieval city obtained a silhouette rich in towers, thus confirming its majesty. Development of industry and transport in the 19th century promoted appearance of new products – building materials, lifts and lifting equipment for heavy cargos. Due to the development of reinforced concrete, steel constructions and pumping technologies, the construction of skyscrapers was started in the global and European richest urban business centres. In the 20th century high-rise buildings also appeared in the Soviet Union and Latvia. In the modern world due to the urbanization and population increase, high-rise buildings provide different functions, replacing low-rise buildings on an extensive area. High-rise buildings have become functionally, constructively and visually diverse. Previous researches: construction of high-rise buildings in Latvia has not been studied sufficiently; mostly a few high-rise buildings of Soviet times in Riga have been analysed. Topicality of the theme: benefits and deficiencies of high-rise building in Latvia. Goal of the research: to analyse the impact of high-rise buildings on urban planning in Latvia, high-rise building and cities’ visual image, as well as the functional diversity and capacity of high-rise buildings.