Stichting Hoogbouw was established in 1984 to make the Dutch building, administrative and designing people enthusiastic about high-rise buildings. This was a time when high-rise buildings were taboo. Introduced en masse and uniformly in modern suburbs, high-rise buildings created not only space but also urbanity. Stichting Hoogbouw wanted to make clear that there are many forms of high-rise buildings, each with their own characteristics, and that it can be a means of making Dutch city centers in particular more attractive.

The taboo on high-rise buildings has been broken for some time. As such, raising enthusiasm is no longer a primary objective of Stichting Hoogbouw. Today, it mainly tries to create knowledge and network about high-rise buildings in the Netherlands by regularly bringing parties together and sharing knowledge, in order to lift high-rise buildings in the Netherlands not only literally but also figuratively to a higher level. To this end, it organizes meetings and study trips, publishes newsletters and is involved in studies and publications relevant to its focus.

The Hoogbouw Foundation is supported by a network of donors. These are mostly companies, but also individuals who are professionally involved in the design, construction and realization of high-rise buildings in the Netherlands. In doing so, they not only support the activities of Stichting Hoogbouw, but it also enables them to meet other high-rise professionals in the Netherlands.