STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS IN

HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

DISSERTATION KARTHIK.S A-9021 S9 B.ARCH

 INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION
High rise is defined differently by different bodies

Emporis standards-
A multi-story structure between 35-100 meters tall, or a building of unknown height
from 12-39 floors is termed as high rise.
Building code of Hyderabad,India-
A high-rise building is one with four floors or more, or one 15 meters or more in
height.

The International Conference on Fire Safety

"any structure where the height can have a serious impact on evacuation

Massachusetts, United States General Laws

A high-rise is being higher than 70 feet (21 m).

Buildings higher than 100m is termed as skyscraper according to emporis.
Buildings 300m or higher is termed as super tall and buildings 600m or taller is
termed as mega-tall.

In this study we shall consider all buildings above 35metres

DEMAND FOR HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

High rise buildings are becoming more prominent these days due to
following reasons
scarcity of land
increasing demand for business and residential space
economic growth
technological advancement
innovations in structural systems
desire for aesthetics in urban settings
cultural significance and prestige
human aspiration to build higher
DEVELOPMENT OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

First Generation1780-1850
The exterior walls of these buildings consisted of stone or
brick, although sometimes cast iron was added for
decorative purposes.
The columns were constructed of cast iron, often
unprotected; steel and wrought iron was used for the
beams; and the floors were made of wood. HOME INSURANCE
BUILDING

Second Generation 1850-1940

The second generation of tall buildings, which includes
the Metropolitan Life Building (1909), the Woolworth
Building (1913), and the Empire State Building (1931),
are frame structures, in which a skeleton of welded- or
riveted-steel columns and beams, often encased in
concrete, runs through the entire building. EMPIRE STATE
BUILDING
DEVELOPMENT OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

This type of construction makes for an

extremely strong structure, but not such
attractive floor space. The interiors are full of
heavy, load-bearingcolumns and walls
Third Generation 1940-present
Buildings constructed from after World War II
until today make up the most recent generation
of high-rise buildings.
Within this generation there are those of steel-
framed construction( core construction and tube
construction ), reinforced concrete
construction(shear wall), and steel-framed
reinforced concrete construction .
Hybrid systems also evolved during this time.
These systems make use more than one type of Structural system
structural system in a building. classification
TALL BUILDING TRENDS IN 2013

Considering the worlds 100 tallest buildings in 1990:

80 percent were located in North America.

Almost 90 percent were exclusively office use.
More than half were constructed of steel.

In 2013, for the world's 100 tallest buildings:

The largest share (43 percent) are now in Asia. (Only one new
200-m-plus building was built in North America in 2013, compared
to 54 in Asia.)
Less than 50 percent are exclusively office use. Almost a quarter
are mixed-use and 14 percent are residential.
Almost half were constructed of reinforced concrete and only 14
percent of steel. (The remaining are composite or mixed structural
materials.)
TALL BUILDING TRENDS IN 2013

A composite tall building

utilizes a combination of
both steel and concrete
acting compositely in the
main structural elements.

A mixedstructure tall
building is any building that
utilizes distinct steel or
concrete systems above or
below each other.

Structural material
usage from 1930 to
2013
 STRUCTURAL CONCERNS

The primary structural skeleton of a tall building can be visualized as a vertical

cantilever beam with its base fixed in the ground. The structure has to carry the
vertical gravity loads and the lateral wind and earthquake loads.
Gravity loads are caused by dead and live loads. Lateral loads tend to snap the
building or topple it. The building must therefore have adequate shear and bending
resistance and must not lose its vertical load-carrying capability.

The skyscraper pushes down on into the ground .But

when the wind blows, the columns in the windy side
stretch apart, and the columns on the other side
squeeze together.
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS

Fighting gravity
The weight of the building is supported by a
group of vertical coloumns
Each floor is supported by horizontal steel
girders running between vertical coloumns.
Curtain wall made of steel and concrete
attaches to the outside

Wind resistance
Buildings taller than 10 storeys would generally require additional steel for
lateral system.
The most basic method for controlling horizontal sway is to simply tighten up
the structure. At the point where the horizontal girders attach to the vertical
column, the construction crew bolt: and welds them on the top and bottom. as
well as the side. This makes the entire steel super structure move more as one
unit, like a pole, as opposed to a flexible skeleton.
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS

For taller skyscrapers, tighter connections dont really do the trick To keep
these buildings from swaying heavily. engineers have to construct especially
strong cores through the center of the building.
The effects of wind can also be minimized by aerodynamic shaping of the
building. Wind tunnel testing considers appropriate loading for overall
lateral system design and cladding design, and predicts motion perception
and pedestrian level effects.
Use of damping systems

as the building becomes taller and

the buildings sway due to lateral
forces becomes critical, there is a
greater demand on the girders and
columns that make up the rigid-
frame system to carry lateral forces.
CLASSIFICATION OF TALL BUILDING STRUCTURAL
SYSTEMS
Can be classified based on the structural material used such as concrete or
steel
Structural systems of tall buildings can also be divided into two broad
categories:
1)INTERIOR STRUCTURES
2)EXTERIOR STRUCURES
This classification is based on the distribution of the components of the primary
lateral load-resisting system over the building. A system is categorized as an
interior structure when the major part of the lateral load resisting system is
located within the interior of the building. Likewise, if the major part of the
lateral load-resisting system is located at the building perimeter, a system is
categorized as an exterior structure. It should be noted, however, that any
interior structure is likely to have some minor components of the lateral load-
resisting system at the building perimeter, and any exterior structure may have
some minor components within the interior of the building.
 INTERIOR STRUCTURES
By clustering steel columns and beams in the core, engineers create
a stiff backbone that can resist tremendous wind forces. The inner
core is used as an elevator shaft , and the design allows lots of
open space on each floor

EXTERIOR STRUCTURES
In newer skyscrapers, like the Sears Tower in Chicago, engineers
moved the columns and beams from the core to the perimeter,
creating a hollow, rigid tube as strong as the core design, but
weighing much, much less.
 Seagram b

INTERIOR STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

1)RIGID FRAME
A rigid frame in structural engineering is the load-resisting
skeleton constructed with straight or curved members
interconnected by mostly rigid connections which resist
movements induced at the joints of members. Its members can
take bending moment, shear, and axial loads.
Consist of columns and girders joined by moment resistant
connections.
Can build upto 20 to 25 floors

2)SHEAR WALL STRUCTURE

Concrete or masonry continuous vertical walls may serve both
architecturally partitions and structurally to carry gravity and
lateral loading. Very high in plane stiffness and strength make
them ideally suited for bracing tall building
Usually built as the core of the building
Can build upto 35 Floors

Shear wall core

3)OUTRIGGER STRUCTURES

The core may be centrally located with outriggers

extending on both sides or in some cases it may be
located on one side of the building with outriggers
extending to the building columns on the other side
The outriggers are generally in the form of
trusses (1 or 2 story deep) in steel structures, or
walls in concrete structures, that effectively act as
stiff headers inducing a tension-compression couple
in the outer columns. Shangai World
financial centre
Belt trusses are often provided to distribute these
tensile and compressive forces to a large number
of exterior frame columns.
An build upto 150 floors
EXTERIOR STRUCTURES
1)Tube system
The tube system concept is based on the
idea that a building can be designed to
resist lateral loads by designing it as a
hollow cantilever perpendicular to the
ground. In the simplest incarnation of the
tube, the perimeter of the exterior consists
of closely spaced columns that are tied
together with deep spandrel beams
through moment connections. This assembly
of columns and beams forms a rigid
frame that amounts to a dense and strong
structural wall along the exterior of the
building.
The different tubular systems are-
1)Framed tube 2)Braced tube
3)Bundled tube 4)Tube in tube
 2)Diagrid systems

With their structural efficiency as a varied version of the

tubular systems, diagrid structures have been emerging as
a new aesthetic trend for tall buildings in this era of
pluralistic styles.
Early designs of tall buildings recognized the effectiveness
of diagonal bracing members in resisting lateral forces.
Most of the structural systems deployed for early tall
buildings were steel frames with diagonal bracings of
various configurations such as X, K, and chevron. However,
while the structural importance of diagonals was well
recognized, the aesthetic potential of them was not Hearst tower , New
York
appreciated since they were considered obstructive for
viewing the outdoors.
Efficiently resists lateral shear by axial forces in the
diagonal members but have Complicated joints
 3)Space truss

Space truss structures are modified braced tubes with

diagonals connecting the exterior to interior. In a typical braced
tube structure, all the diagonals, which connect the chord
members vertical corner columns in general, are located on the
plane parallel to the facades.
However, in space trusses, some diagonals penetrate the interior
of the building.
Bank of China, Hong Kong
4)Exo skeleton structure

In exoskeleton structures, lateral load-resisting systems are

placed outside the building lines away from their facades.
Due to the systems compositional characteristics, it acts as a
primary building identifier one of the major roles of building
facades in general cases.
Fire proofing of the system is not a serious issue due to its
location outside the building line.

Hotel de las Atres

 5)Super frame structures

Superframe structures can create ultra high-

rise buildings upto 160 floors.
Superframes or Megaframes assume the
form of a portal which is provided on the
exterior of a building.
The frames resist all wind forces as an
exterior tubular structure. The portal frame
of the Superframe is composed of vertical
legs in each corner of the building which are
linked by horizontal elements at about every
12 to 14 floors.
Since the vertical elements are concentrated
in the corner areas of the building, maximum
efficiency is obtained for resisting wind
forces.
 Case Study : PETRONAS TOWER
Petronas tower is a symbol of national pride and shows the
nation's advancement in the word economy and technologies.
Conrete was used for its construction mainly because it was
easily available and cheap when compared with steel,
which was a new material for the builders. The architect
successfully incorporated malaysian and Islamic motiffs in the
design. The skybridge was an important feature of the
design which was implemented later .Petronas tower has
'tube in tube' structural system. The structural members are
made with high strength concrete which was cast in site . The
perimeter columns are held together with the help of ring
beams. The internal core structure is made of concrete shear
walls. The building didn't require extra damping systems
because the heavy strructual members nade of concrete.
Even though no new advncements in technology was made
during the project , the available technology was used
smartly.
BURJ KHALIFA
DUBAI, UAE
The Burj Dubai project is designed to be the centerpiece of the large scale
Burj Dubai Development that rises into the sky to an unprecedented height
of 800 meters and that consists of more than 160 floors .The decision to
build Burj Khalifa is reportedly based on the government's decision to
diversify from an oil based economy to one that is service and tourism
based.Unlike many super-highrise buildings with deep floor plates, the Y-
shape floor plans of Burj Dubai maximize views and provide tenants with
plenty of natural light. According to officials, it is necessary for projects like
Burj Khalifa to be built in the city to garner more international recognition,
and hence investment. The structural system of burj khakifa was a new
system developed for the building. The system is called 'butressed core' . In
this system the lateral loads and gravity loads are shared equally between
the interior core and perimeter structural systems linked by the link beam
which makes the structure super strong.
BURJ KHALIFA
DUBAI, UAE
The image shows the structural systems
employed in the building, the blue
members are the load carrying concrete
wall system, all the wall structures are
linked to the core with the help of link
beam.
FUTURE TALL BUILDINGS

Nothing could be more stunning than the latest generation of skyscrapers, known as
the 'supertalls'.A tower has to be over 300 metres high to qualify as a supertall, but
there is no shortage of contenders: at 829.8 metres high, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is
undeniably the worlds tallest building, but it wont be for very long as the race to
build upwards continues around the world.
We are entering the era of the megatall. This term is now officially being used by
the Council to describe buildings over 600 meters in height, or double the height of
a supertall .
CONCLUSION

With the present technology and known materials , it is possible to build

more higher and faster.
It is now possible to build skyscrapers so fast using pre- fabricated units
that it can lead to environmental problems, stress on resources and
overcrowding if not controlled.
To build higher the base of the building will have to be made wider. The
bundled tube system was a great innovation and was able to span great
heights during it's time , to attain the height of burj khalifa the bundled tube
system will need a bigger base when compared with the buttressed core
system.
New improved structural systems and new materials in the future can lead
us to even greater heights and more stable buildings. Its not technology
holding buildings back. Its money.