high-rise apartment building
Dallas, Texas
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Types of Structures
​​Masonry/Concrete Bearing Walls
Masonry Wall Components include brick, stone and concrete masonry walls. Brick and stone masonry walls consist of brick or stone blocks and mortar to hold these blocks together. Concrete masonry walls consist of concrete blocks often referred to as CMUs (concrete masonry units) and mortar. When constructing a CMU wall, the voids in the blocks can be filled with concrete reinforced with steel rebar. Voids are usually filled near corners, wall ends, and openings to provide the wall with more stability at these locations. Typically, the top row of blocks in a CMU wall will be filled with reinforced concrete to tie them together. This construction is called a bond beam. Concrete walls are comprised of either precast concrete or poured concrete and reinforcing bars. Precast concrete is produced and cured off - site and then transported to the construction site, and set in place. Poured concrete is poured into formwork on the construction site.
This is a very common structure in building construction, it can be used in almost all kind of building, which include the high rise apartment building that we need design this time. For more information, click here.
Wood Bearing Walls
Wood Bearing wall is a wall that supports and transfers loads directly into the foundations of the structure. Wood Load Bearing construction uses stud walls to transfer significant amounts of load created from the roof, upper floors, and live loads acting on a building to the floor structure and foundation below.
The main components of the wall itself are the studs, sole (bottom) and top plates, and headers. There are multiple types of studs based on their location and purpose within the wall itself. For more information, click here.
​Steel Frames
Steel frame is very good in strength to weight/cost. Its combination of multiple load characteristics and ease of construction make steel frame structures a very common system in use today. Because steel is so ductile for its strength, it also handles compression and tension well. It’s moldability allow for many different shapes to be created and used as needed without much sacrifice in strength. Steel can be very expensive or hard to find in some parts of the world though.
Because of steels multipurpose usage and high strength for weight, steel frame is one of the most common systems used for tall buildings. It is easy to get to site and then build up into very tall structures since the individual pieces are light. Costs are also low for the amount of usable space such buildings can achieve. For more information, click here.
​​Concrete Frame
Concrete frames are very good in compression loading. Reinforced concrete structures are very sturdy and strong while still being capable of taking heavy weight and retaining a rather simple construction setup. However, concrete is hard to mix by in some parts of the world and is highly dependant on weather conditions and climate for proper setting. Its cheapness and toughness make it a popular system nonetheless.
Concrete buildings have a mixed use for tall structures. On one hand, it’s cheap and easy for most contractors to work with, however it’s largest weakness is still the lack of tensile strength innate in the material. Addition of reinforcements such as steel can help offset this weakness, and to some point, concrete can be an effective, cheap material for mid-range buildings. For more information, click here.
Diagrid
Diagrid structures consist of diagonal members and horizontal spanning beams that meet at nodes, effectively creating a series of trusses with pin connections. The system transfers both gravity and lateral loads through the system without the need of vertical columns, and allows for more freedom in design when compared to a simple steel framed structure. The diagonal members are able to resist both tension and compression loads; floor edge beams are usually tied to the diagrid in order to complete triangulation with the diagonal members.
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Post and Beam Wood Construction
Post and lintel wood structures are formed from a skeletal framework of beams and posts supported on foundations. The applied loads are transferred through the structural framework and down into the foundations. The strength of wood allows for wide bays, and the materials are readily available around the world, making wooden post and beam structures common throughout the world, both historically and modern-day. For more information, click here.
Although these structures are sustainable and environmentally friendly, they are not realistic for high rise structures. The strength of wood is limited to a certain number of stories.
3D Tension
3Dimensional Tension systems rely on a few compression members holding up a large fabric or membrane cover in tension. It along with Pneumatic structures are some of the most cost effective systems for covering large areas quickly and cheaply. Tensile structures are also cheap to make since they require so little material and little to no foundation work. Depending on design, they are also capable of being assembled and dismantled easily to allow for transportation of the structure. As such, they are not often used as permanent buildings by themselves, though they can be combined into other systems often as roof assemblies. Multiple story structures with 3D Tension is very difficult and almost never done for serious construction projects. For more information, click here.
Though 3D Tension is very easy and cheap to make, the lack of ability to support multiple structures makes it not a consideration for a high-rise building.
Pneumatic Structures
Pneumatic systems are similar to 3 Dimensional Tension structures in that they both utilize an outside membrane to form the main building shell. However unlike Tensile structures which rely on a small support system to help keep form, pneumatic structures use air pressure to keep their shape. Either through a single membrane and air sealed interior, or a double membrane with a sealed air pocket, the force of the pressure on the outer shell keeps the building stable. As such, like 3 Dimensional Tension, the foundation requirements are minimal and mostly there to keep the building where it is suppose to be, rather than supporting any actual large loading. This also make these structures very mobile and cheap, capable of being put up in minutes to the required location. For more information, click here.
Like Tensile systems, Pneumatic Structures are not feasibly for use in multi-story buildings and can not be considered for a high rise apartment building.
Two-Dimensional Structures
Two-dimensional compression systems were developed in ancient architecture as a way to use materials that are readily available with high compressive strengths, but weak tensile strengths. The most common 2D compression structure is the arch, which transforms all loads into compressive loads along the curve of the arch. Arches were an innovative improvement of the post and lintel system and the corbeled arch system because they removed the presence of tension forces acting on the system. The materials have changed over time to incorporate the arch into more modern structural systems, but the same basic concepts remain. For more information, click here.
Tensegrity
Tensegrity is a relatively new structural type that hasn’t seen much use in a lot of use in most modern structures. It’s unique structural characteristics make it capable of using an interconnected system of compression members and tension members to support a unique structure with relatively little material. The design of a tensegrity structure is limited to a few mathematically calculated models, but the forms can be incredibly intricate and aesthetically pleasing. Not many structures have made use of this system and more often it can be seen in sculptural work in universities.
For the average requirements of a housing development and also a high-rise building, tensegrity does not meet the demands placed upon it for this project. For a very tall and open space, the required design patterns of tensegrity structures would place undue limitations on the interior apartments and structural height.
Three Dimensional Compression
The dome is the most common form of 3D compression; a dome is the upper hemisphere of a sphere, and has been used historically, as well as transformed through time to meet the changing technology of the world. Domes were originally formed using masonry and concrete, and sometimes wood, and more current materials include steel and glass.
Domes are self-supporting structures, and can be used both as a roof and as a standalone building when constructed properly, and can span great distances without needing extra supports. The structure takes the weight at the highest point, and carries it down towards the frame system below, increasing magnitude depending on the dead load of the material. For more information, click here.