Joint SECED/WES Presentation on Tall Buildings

Investigating Interactions between Wind and Seismic Actions for Tall Building Design

Synopsis

Lateral loading is a major design driver for tall buildings and wind climate and seismicity vary considerably with region. This talk will consider the interaction of wind and seismic loading for tall buildings, and seeks to establish generalised relationships between environmental demands, controlling actions and material use for varying building height. The study employs parametric studies of a basic building form to identify the theoretical relationships. The relationships are then evaluated against a number of tall building designs recently completed by the authors, to measure the practical applicability of the relationships. Finally, the talk will consider some of the design and justification approaches employed for these buildings to achieve efficient design outcomes.

About the speakers

William Algaard is an Associate Director at Ove Arup and Partners Ltd, London. He works as a structural engineer in close collaboration with architects to develop holistic design solutions that offer clients high value. He has a background in advanced analytical methods and employs first-principles approaches to develop innovative and efficient designs, often in seismic regions. He seeks to optimize material use and develop more sustainable building designs. William has worked on tall building projects in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

William Whitby is an Associate Director at Ove Arup and Partners Ltd. He is a structural engineer working in a multi-disciplinary building engineering group based in London. In addition to his general structural engineering experience, Will has developed specialist knowledge in complex geometry, long-span structures, high-rise buildings, parametric design and structural optimisation.

Brougher Mountain Tower – Dynamic Response & Damper Design

Synopsis

Early in 2010, reports were received of excessive and uncharacteristic vibrations at Arqiva’s tower at Brougher Mountain in Northern Ireland. The vibrations followed the installation of a new digital TV cantilever antenna and a modest extension to the tower. The talk will present the investigation that followed and the development of a solution to mitigate the vibrations.

About the speaker

John Rees has been with Flint & Neill since 1990 (now re-branded as COWI (UK) Ltd). He specialises in the design and assessment of tall guyed masts, lattice towers and other wind sensitive structures. John is actively involved in the development of the British Standards and Eurocodes that apply to this work. He is convenor of the CEN working group for EN 1993-3-1 and EN 1993-3-2 and chairman of the UK mirror committee.

Further information

This evening meeting is jointly organised by SECED and the Wind Engineering Society (WES) and chaired by Damian Grant (Arup). Non-members of the society are welcome to attend. Attendance at this meeting is free. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Tea and biscuits will be served from 5.30pm - 6pm. For further information, please contact Brendan van Rooyen (tel. 020 7665 2229).