Abstract
New developments of tall buildings of ever-growing heights have been continuously taking place worldwide. Consequently, many innovations in structural systems have emerged. This paper presents a retrospective survey of the main structural systems for tall buildings with emphasis on the advancements of recent, emerging, and potentially emerging systems. A structural systems chart that was previously developed by the authors has been updated in this paper to recognize, categorize and add the more recent structural systems. Recent trends of tubular structural systems in modified forms including the braced megatubes and diagrids are presented. Core-outrigger structural systems are discussed with emphasis on their adaptability. The potential of employing superframes for stand-alone and conjoined megatall buildings is predicted. As a means to solve today’s various project-specific complex design requirements, different mixed structural systems for supertall and megatall buildings are presented. This paper also discusses the widespread application of composite structural systems and recent trends of concrete cores for contemporary tall buildings. Finally, the future of tall buildings is predicted as the race for height continues.
Highlights
Following the catastrophic event of 11 September 2001 that brought down the World TradeCenter buildings in New York, naysayers hastily predicted that it marked the end of future skyscraper construction
For supertall and vibration by managing acceleration of either by changing the building’s mass andresponse stiffness parameters, megatall buildings, specialthe consideration vortex-shedding-induced across-wind is necessary as wherecause possible, and/orresonance
Ceaseless development of structural systems structural systems creates new opportunities for structural engineers to strive for more efficient creates new opportunities for structural engineers to strive for more efficient structures
Summary
Following the catastrophic event of 11 September 2001 that brought down the World Trade. The development of a variety of efficient structural systems for tall and supertall buildings was possible because of a groundbreaking principle, called the “premium for height”, first envisioned by Fazlur Khan [4] With his height-based structural systems charts that included his signature tubular system, he instigated a departure from the conventional rigid frame system suited to rectilinear, repetitious, prismatic vertical configurations and flat “topless” roofs defining the International Style and modernist architecture prevalent until the advent of postmodernism. During this era of modernism, the façade was generally designed with a constant or smoothly varying profile following rigorous discipline that exhibited austere structural regimentation. Beginning in the 1960s, different types of forms and structural systems cropped up such as: tubes, diagrids, superframes, core-outrigger systems, mixed steel-concrete systems and a few other improvements since the gradual demise of the conventional rigid frames when the principle called the “premium for height” was conceived
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