TALL STRUCTURES
What is a tall structure? Any structure whose height to lowest plan dimension is at
least five (5)
Why Tall Building?
The growth in tall building construction has largely been for commercial and
residential purposes. Other factors include:
Demand by businesses to be as close to one another as possible (symbiotic
relationship);
Demand for high utilisation of limited space (space is finite as such can be
depleted);
They form distinctive land marks;
Tall commercial buildings are built in City Centres as prestige Ɣ for
corporate organisations as they demonstrate stamping their authority;
Growth in tourism demanding commercial and accommodation activities to
be as close to each other as possible;
Rapid growth of the urban population as urban areas still remain centres of
economic opportunities leading to subsequent pressure on limited space for
cities residential development;
Need to preserve important agricultural, environment and other social
factors;
Local topographical restrictions making tall buildings the only feasible
solutions to housing need.
Factors affecting growth, height and structural form
The availability of construction materials
Level of construction technology
State of the development of services for the use of the structure
Planning regulations of the region
Loading e.g. Earthquakes, Wind
Geological conditions
Design methods
Architectural form and use of the building
Note: Tall structures MUST be able to withstand vertical, construction,
horizontal, wind and earthquake loads that it may be subjected to
throughout it’s life.
They are characterised by:
1. Strength: Ability to withstand construction and all other loads that
they may be subjected to throughout their life
2. Rigidity: Ability to resist deflections beyond allowable limits
3. Stability: Ability to recover under a disturbing load and return to their
original position/state (resilience).
4. Stiffness: Ability to resist bending
TALL STRUCTURES
DESIGN PROCESS
Upon deciding the functional layout of the structure, the design process generally
follows a well-defined interactive procedure:
(i) Preliminary calculations for the member sizes based on gravity loading
augmented by an arbitrary increment for the effects of wind loading;
Note: Cross-sectional areas for vertical members based on accumulative loadings
from their associated tributary areas.
(ii) Beams and slabs sizes are based normally on moments and shears
obtained from some simple method of gravity loading;
(iii) Check made on the maximum horizontal deflections and forces in the major
structural members using some rapid approximate analysis technique;
(iv) Adjustments are then made to the member sizes; and
(v) Repeat the procedure until a satisfactory solution is obtained.
In the design process, a thorough knowledge of high-rise structural components and
their modes of failure are a prerequisite to devising an appropriate load–resisting
system.
Note: Such a system must be efficient, economic and should minimize structural
penalty for height while maximising the satisfaction of the basic serviceability
requirements.
DESIGN CRITERIA
The probabilistic approach method for both structural properties and loading
conditions has led to the Limit State design philosophy.
“The aim is to ensure that all structures and their components are designed to resist
with reasonable safety in a cost effective manner the worst loads and deformations
that are liable to occur during construction and service and to have adequate durability
during their lifetime”.
The entire structure or any part of it is considered as having “failed” when it reaches
any one of the various “Limit States”, when it no longer meets the prescribed limiting
design conditions:
(i) The Ultimate Limit state corresponds to the loads to cause failure
including instability (the probability of failure MUST be very low; and
(ii) The Serviceability Limit state, which involve the criteria governing the
service life of a building and which, because the consequences of failure
would not be catastrophic, are permitted a much higher probability of
occurrence. These are concerned with the fitness of the building for
normal use rather than safety and are therefore less critical. Generally,
they refer to human comfort, convenience; etc.
TALL STRUCTURES
The design MUST satisfy the following criteria:
(i) Loading: The structure must be able to withstand all loadings that it
may be subjected to during construction and its entire lifespan;
(ii) Strength and Stability: To have adequate strength to resist and remain
stable under the worst probable condition;
(iii) Stiffness and Drift: Lateral deflections must be limited to prevent
second order effects to allow for functioning of non-structural
components such as doors, lifts, windows; etc.
(iv) Human Comfort Criteria;
(v) Creep, Shrinkage and Temperature effects;
(vi) Fire; and
(vii) Foundation Settlements and Soil-Structure Interaction.
TYPES OF TALL STRUCTURE FORMS
1. Braced Frame Structures
2. Rig – Frame Structures
3. In filled – Frame Structures
4. Flat – Plate and Flat – Slab Structures
5. Shear Wall Structures
6. Wall – Frame Structures
7. Framed –Tube Structures
8. Outrigger – Braced Structures
9. Suspended Structures
10. Core Structures
11. Space Structures
12. Hybrid Structures
Note: In all of them, the members are rigidly connected to form frames.
STRUCTURAL FORM
TALL STRUCTURES
The structural engineer the determination of the structural form of a high- rise building
would involve only the selection and arrangement of the major structural elements to
resist most efficiently the various combinations of gravity and horizontal loading in a
cost effective manner. In reality, the choice of the structural form is largely influenced
by other factors other than structural considerations.
These factors include but not limited to:-
1. The planning regulations of the region
2. Construction materials; availability and cost
3. The architectural form
4. Availability of services
5. Geological characteristics
6. Construction technology
7. The height of the building relative to the surroundings
8. Use of the building
The principle objective is to have a building structural form that will support the
construction, gravity, dead, live and horizontal loads that will be subjected to it
throughout its lifespan economically.
