Improving Wind Performance of Structural Systems of Tall Buildings Using Topology Modifications

Abstract

AbstractWind is a governing load for designing the lateral load resisting system of tall buildings. The performance of this system can be optimized either by changing the sizes and shapes of the structural elements or by improving the overall topology. The selection of the layout and sizing of structural components is typically guided by architectural and structural considerations. The goal of structural optimization is seeking a cost-effective structural layout, element shapes, and sizes within predefined structural (i.e. safety and serviceability) and architectural (i.e. functionality and aesthetic) constraints. On one hand, traditional structural optimization focuses on optimizing the structural performance by seeking the optimal combination of structural element sizes and shapes. On the other hand, structural topology optimization seeks to minimize the load effect and cost of the structure throughout changing the structural system layout. In this paper, an assessment has been conducted using five different scenarios of shear wall layout to examine the impact of altering the structural system. All scenarios are analyzed to check the change of shear wall location on the story drift, the top-story displacement, base moment, base shear and mode shapes.