Construction Of Tall Buildings Research Articles

Novel outrigger element utilizing thin steel plates as infill to concrete frames in concrete high‐rise buildings

AbstractRapid population growth and the need for sustainable land use have led to a remarkable increase in the construction of tall buildings. To accommodate the increasing need for floor space, high‐rise structural systems are being developed aiming to improve building performance against lateral loads. This paper introduces a novel steel‐infilled Reinforced Concrete Frame (SP‐RCF) outrigger and compares its structural performance against other systems, such as the Concrete Wall‐infilled Reinforced Concrete Frame and the Steel Truss‐infilled Reinforced Concrete Frame. A geometrically and materially non‐linear analysis was applied to these systems and validated through existing experimental and analytical data. Subsequently, a case study on a prototype tall building was conducted. The results indicate that the SP‐RCF outrigger shows superior performance compared to the other systems in terms of ultimate strength, stiffness, and ductility; demonstrating its potential to enhance the structural integrity of high‐rise buildings.

Governing Lateral Load on Tall Buildings in Canadian Regions

Urbanization has led to a significant increase in the construction of tall buildings in Canada. The design of tall buildings must ensure structural integrity in withstanding lateral loads, such as wind and earthquakes. The tendency for a specific lateral load to govern building design varies based on the building characteristics, building height, and location of the building. There is a need to identify the governing lateral load (i.e., wind or earthquake) for use in the preliminary design and city-scale assessment. This study examines the governing lateral loads for tall buildings across different Canadian regions through a parametric analysis of a typical high-rise building based on the Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Council (CAARC) building. This research evaluates varying building heights, structural systems, and geographic locations under the guidelines of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). The analysis identifies the dominant lateral load, providing insights into assessing the existing infrastructure and optimal design strategies for enhancing building sustainability and resilience. Our findings highlight the critical role of geographic location in determining lateral load impacts and the necessity of context-specific design to promote long-term structural performance and environmental sustainability.

Opportunities of building tall and green – an overview from a European perspective

The purpose of the article is to answer the question of whether a tall building, throughout its entire life cycle, can be sustainable. A literature review and online searches were conducted in order to gather data on the impact of environmental trends on chosen aspects of tall European building design. The conducted analyses confirm the hypothesis that the European approach considers sustainable aspects and can be the basis for general guidelines for the construction of green tall buildings, ensuring that the tall building’s location, floor areas and heights are functionally justified. Despite the demanding climate conditions, high-rise buildings are designed using bioclimatic solutions and take the use of passive phenomena and a reduction in the operating time of mechanical systems into account. The necessary technical infrastructure uses highly efficient, energy-saving equipment and solutions. Obtaining energy from renewable sources is present in architectural solutions but not very popular – these technologies are still growing and gaining importance.

Exploring multi-hazard effects on a tall building and its non-structural elements through simultaneous earthquake and wind loading

The tall building construction sector has recently exhibited an increasing development, especially in Europe. This activity is aligned with European policies regarding soil conservation and social housing. Due to their slenderness, such structures are particularly sensitive to wind and earthquake loads. Nevertheless, current building codes, standards, and most scientific literature neglect the interaction of these events as simultaneity has always been considered a rare design case due to the limited effect on the structural elements. The present work carries out a careful statistical investigation on the occurrence of strong earthquakes accompanied by a wind load event, characterized by non-negligible daily mean-wind velocities in Italy, where more than one-third of its area is occupied by high mountains, limiting the urban development to confined zones. Subsequently, the effect of the simultaneous occurrence of earthquake and wind loads has been studied, both from the numerical and experimental points of view (i.e., shaking table and wind tunnel tests) to evaluate the consequences on structural and non-structural elements (e.g., façades) of a building case study. Results show that the cumulative effect of typical and non-catastrophic daily mean wind velocity (i.e., in the range of 5–10 m/s at 10 m from the ground) and a typical and non-catastrophic seismic daily shock (i.e., with magnitude in the range of 3–5), can trigger large inter-story drift ratio values and fatigue, causing damage to non-structural elements - like façades - and consequently a risk for occupants and high economic losses.

Current and future trends in vertical transportation

In the middle of the 19th century, the invention of a safety device that prevented elevators from falling enabled the construction of tall buildings and skyscrapers. In the middle of the 20th century, control systems started to serve the given calls automatically by relay technology, and later by electro-mechanical systems. In the 1970s-80 s, software-based control systems invaded elevator technology. Passenger service levels improved with the application of mathematical methods such as artificial intelligence. When the old relay boards of the skyscrapers in New York were modernized by software-based group controls, passenger waiting times dropped to less than half. In this millennium, the need to reduce elevator core space has further increased, since a significant number of buildings already exceed 300 m. The challenge in constructing tall buildings is that elevator groups can occupy the rentable area of a building. At the elevator planning stage, elevator core space can be decreased by zoning the building. The latest trends include systems with several elevator cars running in the same shaft. With modern control systems, passenger journey times can be decreased and handling capacity increased. This article deals with mathematical methods used in elevator dispatching problems. Building traffic simulation is utilized to search for an elevator arrangement that saves the most space in an example building. The design criteria of the ISO 8100–32 standard are used in selecting the elevator arrangements.

Effects of Fluid Viscous Damper on Reinforced Concrete Tall Building under Lateral Loading in Lagos, Nigeria

The rapid construction of tall buildings in unconventional areas of Lagos, driven by high land cost necessitates meticulous analysis and design to withstand lateral loads such as wind and seismic forces. Typically, enhancing structural rigidity is the conventional approach to counteracting horizontal loads. This study examines the effectiveness of fluid viscous damping (FVD) in reducing gravity, wind and seismic loads in a 24 – story suspended floor frame structure. Using ETABS 2019 software, the building’s modeling and analysis demonstrate that integrating FVDs at each floor level significantly reduces displacement, drift and overturning moments by 20%, 24%, and 29%, respectively, thus enhancing structural stability. Analyzing structural response in Nigeria, despite low seismic intensity, is crucial for risk management and resilience. It informs building practices, improves building codes, and prepares for potential seismic events, ensuring safer infrastructure. This research provides a computational framework for dampening vibrations in tall buildings through FVD technology.

Analysis of the Effect of the Use of Environmentally Friendly Building Materials on the Stability of Tall Building Structures in Jakarta

The construction industry's significant environmental impact has prompted a shift towards environmentally friendly building materials to mitigate environmental degradation while maintaining structural stability. This quantitative study investigates the effect of using environmentally friendly building materials on the stability of tall building structures in Jakarta, Indonesia. Employing a mixed-methods approach, survey data collection, and structural analysis techniques were utilized to examine the relationship between building material choices and structural stability. Statistical analyses revealed a strong preference for environmentally friendly materials among participants, with sustainable timber and eco-friendly concrete substitutes receiving high ratings. Moreover, participants expressed confidence in the structural integrity of tall buildings constructed using these materials. Correlation and regression analyses further demonstrated significant positive relationships between preferences for environmentally friendly building materials, perceived structural stability, and environmental sustainability practices. The findings underscore the potential of environmentally friendly building materials to enhance both structural stability and environmental sustainability in tall building construction.

Impact of BIM and 3D printing technologies on production process and productivity of precast concrete in construction project

Precast concrete (PC) has emerged as a major contributor to this trend, particularly with regard to the construction of tall buildings. While advanced technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and 3D printing have the potential to increase productivity, their use in the PC production process remains limited. This study seeks to assess the practical implementation of BIM and 3D printing in PC production, as well as their effects on the production process and productivity. A qualitative approach involving benchmarking, observations, site documentation, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. According to the results, the integration of BIM and 3D printing in PC production may increases the precision and accuracy of the finalized elements. The findings showed that 3D-printed PC production could reduce production time by 24% to 53%, highlighting the productivity increases these technologies offer. However, structural strength, integration with MEP installations, and architectural elements must be addressed for widespread adoption.

Embodied carbon premium for vanity height: A case for the exclusion of decorative spires in the design of tall buildings

In measuring the height of a tall building, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) recognises three categories: “height to architectural top”; “height to highest occupied floor”; and “height to tip”. The “height to architectural top” category, which includes decorative spires, is used to define the influential CTBUH annual rankings of the “World's Tallest Buildings”. The inclusion of decorative spires in the category ranking has created an incentive for developers to maximise the vanity height of tall buildings, defined as the height difference between a tall building's architectural top and its highest occupied floor.The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the detrimental influence of spires and, by extension, vanity height on the embodied carbon of structural systems for tall buildings. This influence is evaluated using three tall building scenarios of varying heights (50, 70, and 90 storeys). Two finite element models, with and without spires, are parametrically designed for each scenario. All the modelled structural systems comprise a reinforced concrete tube-in-tube lateral load resisting system. A hybrid life cycle inventory analysis approach is used to quantify the embodied carbon of spires as well as the resulting increase in the embodied carbon of structural systems.The findings of this study indicate that even basic spires can lead to an increase of up to 14.2% in the embodied carbon of structural systems for tall buildings, underscoring the imperative to eliminate such elements in the design and construction of tall buildings to minimise overall embodied carbon.

A multiple buffering high-fall protection structure and its impact response

High-fall accidents are the most serious safety accidents in the global construction of tall buildings, and existing techniques cannot effectively prevent large-energy impact accidents such as the overall fall of construction formwork, resulting in huge safety risks. Therefore, this paper proposed a flexible protection structure with multiple buffering mechanisms by using a high-strength steel wire net as the intercepting component, and energy dissipators and buffer supports as the buffering and energy dissipation devices. Based on the mechanical model of the critical components, established a simulation model for the overall falling dynamic impact protection of construction formwork, and carried out four cases of parameter analyses that used the material of the intercepting net, whether to use energy dissipators and buffer support as control variables. The analyses show that the multiple buffering and energy dissipation mechanisms composed of steel wire net, energy dissipators, and buffer supports can effectively reduce the response of each component. Nine sets of parametric analyses based on the finalized structure were conducted with the stiffness of the intercepting net and energy dissipator as parameters The results indicate that the smaller the stiffness of the intercepting net and energy dissipator, the better the structural performance. The novel structure proposed in this paper can effectively protect against large-energy falling object impacts and improve the safety of building construction.

Construction of Skyscrapers: Boon or Bane from an Economic Perspective

The main objective of this paper is to explore the influence of the construction of skyscrapers on a nation's economy. It explores how skyscrapers influence the economic status of the nation worldwide. Drawing from an extensive literature review and the researcher's insights, the article underscores the growth of Asian and Western skyscrapers and their influence on the nation's economic status. It places equal emphasis on the historical aspects, with a vital role regarding the nation's economy and the economic crisis due to the construction of skyscrapers. Thematically, the researcher analyzed the literature regarding the construction of skyscrapers and its impacts and challenges. Firstly, the role of skyscrapers on the economic growth of a nation is described in detail, and the data related to Asian and Western high-rise buildings is reviewed. It shows that skyscrapers play a vital role in developing the economic condition of some nations. Secondly, the influence of the construction of tall buildings is also reviewed deeply, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by the people and nation, like the economic crisis due to significant investments in skyscrapers. Overall, the high skyscrapers are the glory and identity of the nation. It enhances the nation's economic progress rather than being a burden.

Fire Behavior of Concrete-Filled Hollow Section Columns with High Strength Bar-Bundle as Core

Concrete-filled hollow section (CFHS) columns with a solid steel core have gained popularity in the construction of tall buildings due to their robust load-bearing capacity, slender design, ease of prefabrication, and exceptional structural fire resistance. In this research paper, we introduce an innovative approach aimed at enhancing the structural performance of these columns. Our method involves replacing the solid steel core with high-strength bar bundles and substituting concrete with grout to achieve superior fire resistance. These modified columns are referred to as “bar-bundle columns.” The paper presents the results of extensive fire tests conducted on three bar-bundle columns, each with different bar-bundle sizes, quantities, and configurations. Additionally, we determine the temperature-dependent material properties of the high-strength steel used for reinforcing bars and the thermal properties of the grout used as a filler through standard experimental tests, which are crucial for numerical simulations. An advanced nonlinear finite element model is describe which is capable of predicting the fire behavior of bar-bundle columns. Finally, this numerical model is employed to conduct parametric analyses and propose a simplified design model for bar-bundle columns under fire conditions.Our findings indicate that the bar-bundle configuration and using grout as a filler significantly delays the heating of the steel core, resulting in enhanced fire resistance when compared to CFHS columns with a solid steel core. The simplified method proposed in this study can be used to estimate the fire resistance of slender bar bundles, but further experimental testing could further refine and improve its accuracy.

Aerodynamic Modification of High-Rise Buildings by the Adjoint Method

This study presents a novel numerical methodology that is designed for the dynamic adjustment of three-dimensional high-rise building configurations in response to aerodynamic forces. The approach combines two core components: a numerical simulation of fluid flow and the adjoint method. Through a comprehensive sensitivity analysis, the influence of individual variables on aerodynamic loads, including lift and drag coefficients, is assessed. The findings underscore that the architectural design, specifically the building’s construction pattern, exerts the most substantial impact on these forces, accounting for a substantial proportion (76%). Consequently, the study extends its evaluation to the sensitivity of fluid flow across various sections of the tower by solving the adjoint equation throughout the entire fluid domain. As a result, the derived sensitivity vector indicates a remarkable reduction of approximately 31% in the applied loads on the tower. This notable improvement has significant implications for the construction of tall buildings, as it effectively mitigates aerodynamic forces, ultimately enhancing the overall comfort and structural stability of these architectural marvels.

Multi-criteria decision analysis of shuttering material utilization in tall building construction based on a hybrid approach of best worst method and topsis

Multi-criteria decision analysis of shuttering material utilization in tall building construction based on a hybrid approach of best worst method and topsis

Modifications of Wind Response of Tall-Building Caused by Interfering Effects: A CFD Approach

The wind is an essential factor to consider in the design and construction of tall buildings. As buildings get taller, the wind's impact becomes more significant, and the building's stability and safety become more critical. The interfering effect is one of the significant consequences of a building that needs to be considered. The "interfering effect" is a phenomenon in wind engineering that occurs when an upstream structure affects the wind load on a downstream building. In the past, most of the studies of interfering effects were done with 2D or 3D simulations, only considering one or two parameters from the shape, height, and angle. Therefore, this research attempts to analyze the interfering effect qualitatively and quantitatively from the upstream building to a selected squareshaped principal building by varying the height of the interfering building with different shapes, namely, circular, cross, and triangular shapes with different orientations based on 3D CFD modeling. The commercial CFD package Midas NFX is used for this numerical analysis. The results from the base moment and base shear suggest that a safety factor for interfering effects should be considered in designing the building structures in the city area to ensure the stability of the building, and it is, for the worst-case scenario, 1.3. The pressure fluctuation results highlighted the importance of designing the connection of the cladding system to both compression and tension forces. The findings of the present paper will be crucial in ensuring the stability and safety of the building structures when those buildings are in a dense building environment.

The Evolution of Structural Systems in Tall Buildings: From Ancient Skyscrapers to Future Megatowers of the Future

Tall buildings have undergone significant structural evolution throughout history, driven by advancements in engineering, materials, and design concepts. The construction and operation of tall buildings pose challenges related to safety, transportation, and infrastructure. The development of seismic-resistant structural systems for tall buildings, especially in earthquake-prone regions, is a critical aspect of ensuring the safety and stability of structures during seismic events. The integration of these structural systems and design strategies is crucial for creating safe and resilient tall buildings in regions vulnerable to earthquakes. This paper focuses on the historical development of structural systems in tall buildings, from ancient skyscrapers to the design and construction of sustainable and eco-friendly innovative megatowers of the future. This review will highlight the diverse ways in which tall buildings can integrate sustainability-focused structural systems, contributing to environmental conservation and energy efficiency. Key words: Tall buildings, sustainable, energy efficient, structural systems, seismic resistant

Analysis of monitoring optimization of high-rise building settlement in China

With the continuous advancement of China's economic construction, the population density is increasing, and the construction of high-rise buildings is also constantly advancing. This paper addresses settlement issues related to the construction of tall buildings. The author conducts a comprehensive analysis of the current state of tall buildings in China and explores the causes and negative impacts of settlement. To proactively mitigate settlement in high-rise buildings, the author presents two established monitoring methods based on triangulation. The first method employs fiber optic sensors, while the second utilizes a differential pressure settlement monitoring system. The authors recognize that each method has its own strengths and limitations, underscoring the significance of selecting an appropriate monitoring solution tailored to the specific project's characteristics.

Numerical Investigation on the Distribution of Pressure Coefficients of Modified Building Shapes

The construction of tall buildings in urban areas has grown in number in recent years. However, architects and engineers face a variety of design challenges due to the variety of heights and shapes of new building designs. This study evaluates the impact of shape mitigation on tall buildings by applying corner modifications, such as chamfered, corner cut, plan changes with height, tapered, and setback, and combining a single modification model. The numerical simulations were carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation with the RNG k-ε type of turbulence model. All single modifications reduced the maximum +C<i><sub>p</sub></i> and -C<i><sub>p</sub></i> better than the basic model. The corner-cut model was the most effective method for reducing the suction effect. Combining the setback, chamfering the corner, and twisting the building model at 45° modification was the most effective approach to reduce the maximum +C<i><sub>p</sub></i> in the 25–42.10% range in Face 1. Modifying a square model with the combination of setback, chamfer, and 45° rotation reduced the maximum -C<i><sub>p</sub></i>, ranging from 36.9–50%. The composite 1 model and composite 2 model reduced the suction effect in the range of 15.38–33.33% in Face 3. The adoption of composite modification was insignificant in reducing the suction effect on the sidewall, where the maximum -C<i><sub>p</sub></i> was recorded to be between 3.62–5.43%.

Impediments in BIM implementation for the risk management of tall buildings

This study background highlights the increasing need for effective management of risks in tall buildings due to their complexity and potential hazards. BIM has been accepted as a potential solution for management of risks in tall buildings; however, its adaptation has been slow due to several obstacles. The purpose of this study is to identify and validate the impediments to the adaptation of BIM for management of risks. The study adopted a two-step methodology, consisting of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). The data were collected through an online survey of professionals involved in design, construction, and management. Results of the study reveal six significant impediments: technical, integration, operational, creativity, privacy, and standardization. The findings provide theoretical contributions to the literature by identifying and validating the impediments to adaptation of BIM for risks in tall buildings. Practical implications suggest that organizations involved in design, construction, and management of tall buildings need to address the identified impediments to ensure successful adaptation of BIM for management of risks. This study contributes to the understanding of the obstacles to the adaptation of BIM for management of risks in tall buildings and provides insights for organizations to overcome these impediments.

Sudden column removal in tall buildings with flat slabs supported on core and perimeter columns

This paper focuses on robustness considerations of tall buildings with reinforced concrete flat slabs supported by a central core and one row of perimeter columns. This layout is commonly used in office and residential buildings to reduce storey height and maximise natural daylighting. The core and lateral bracing of tall buildings is generally less sensitive to local failure than the secondary load transfer system provided by the floors and perimeter columns, considering the high vulnerability of perimeter columns to accidental actions and punching of the slab around the supports. This paper analyses sudden corner and edge column removal situations in slab-core-perimeter column systems using dimensions and loading representative of current tall building design and construction, looking at potential punching at the connections and flexural failure in the slab. The dynamic punching model previously developed by the authors, was validated in this work for further cases of punching around edge columns and slabs with low amount of flexural reinforcement. The dynamic punching model is based on the Critical Shear Crack Theory for quasi-static punching and the Ductility-Centred Robustness Assessment method. A simplified level of approximation is proposed for a preliminary dynamic punching check during the conceptual design stage to optimise the position columns and level of flexural and punching reinforcement needed. The approaches proposed are consistent with Model Code 2010 and can be used to arrest the horizontal propagation of failure in the slab. The analyses of the case studies in this work showed that removal of an edge column adjacent to a corner column can be critical and alternative robustness design considerations are needed in this case.