Structure#
The main role of structural engineers within civil engineering is the design of structures such as buildings, bridges and industrial facilities. In an ideal case structural engineers develop the initial design in partnership with architects.
Today, the use of mathematical and numerical models of the structure to calculate the stresses that could arise from different load scenarios is common practice. In connection with the design of high-rise buildings the structural engineer needs to consider particular loading effects and service functions such as high local wind suction on façade elements, deflection due to wind and earthquake load, motion, occupant comfort to horizontal acceleration, internal stiffening system with integrated transportation systems and evacuation ways and vibration damping systems if required. Particularly in connection to wind effects and airflow around the building base the pedestrian wind comfort becomes an additional aspect concerning the overall architectural concept of the building shape, function and its close environment.
Chief Consultant: Konstantinos Koutsoupakis
Skills and motivation#
Expertise in structural design (Essential)
Experience using structural analysis tools (Essential)
Interest in trying to design better, more sustainable buildings (Essential)
Interest in exploring different materials (desirable)
We can support you with#
Going beyond following codes
Calculating the insurace rate required for your consultancy.
Calculating the insurance rate required for your consultancy
Feedback from professional consultanct
You will need to independently#
Go beyond what is included in the code
Prove that your system is safe.
Assignments#
Part A#
Plan and Team Contract#
Identify the parts of the project and the associated deadlines and collaborative requirements for the structures group for the 13 and 3 week period and provide these to the PM in a timely manner to be coordinated by your PM group. Develop proposals for how the structural system can be established in the transformed building. Identified parts that will help structure the work which will create the schedule,could be stuctural system, material, loads, combinations, members sizes, connections, design calculations, drawings etc.
Part B#
B Drawings#
Drawings required to be integrated into the interdisciplinary drawings:
Plan sketch of horizontal stabilising memebers.
Plan sketch of vertical loaded members.
Sketch of any specific and important special structure.
A structural detail dealing with some important connection.
Part C#
C BIM#
You should be developing the BIM model through the course. This might not be possible in the early stages, however, start as soon as possible when some elements are certain. To give you a guide you should expect to have a model that we can do a quantity take off from by week 10. This quanitity take off should be cooriidnated across subjects. The structural system of the entire building, basement structure should all be included in the BIM Model and aligned with the other disciplines. For each structural member, indicate whether it is existing, modified, or new.
C Client Report#
Contribute to the client report with a description of the overall structural system of the transformed building, including the materials used, and assess the potential for reuse and reinforcement of existing structural members.
C Consultant Report#
After the PREVIOUS milestone you can now start calculating in more details the forces and dimensions of your structure. Use the methods you are most familiar with. We can give some supervision to FE-modelling but if you have no experience with this method use proper hand-calculations; the Empire State Building was designed long before the computer era! At the end of the 13 weeks you should have a clear idea about your structure, loads and dimensions, detailing and the integration of special architectural features if any. Before you finish the 13-week period your project should be at a point that you have no questions left regarding finalizing the design in the 3 weeks period. You will get comments on the report you have to prepare at the end of the 13 weeks, which should clear up last details.
Following aspects and issues should be addressed in the report (deliverables):
Development of building concept.
Choice of structural system (stiffening elements, beam-column system, floor plates).
Choice of material (pure concrete, steel-concrete composite, pure or partial steel structure, timber).
Loading assumptions (dead loads, traffic loads, fire and overall wind loads).
First verification of overall structural stability and foundation pressure.
Dimensions of the element profiles and sectional forces on structural elements.
Part D#
D BIM#
The structural system of the entire building including slabs, beams, columns and walls. Also conceptual input to basement structure be included in the BIM Model and aligned with the other disciplines. For each structural member, indicate whether it is existing, modified, or new.
D Client Report#
Contribute to the final client report by describing the final overall structural system of the transformed building and the materials used. Specify to what extent the existing structural members have been reused and reinforced.
D Consultant Report#
The report on Subject 2 shall be delivered in electronic form as one pdf-file, containing all calculation approaches, brief method descriptions, calculation results and drawing material. The report should be clearly and concisely written in English. The report will be evaluated on the basis of:
Clarity and depth of understanding shown by the description of the chosen design, structural system, response calculation and organization of building function.
Logic, accuracy and completeness of the performed design calculations.
Presentation and analysis of the results.
The overall and detailed structural design can be documented with:
CAD-Drawings and
Clear and accurate sketches - electronic or by hand.
The Part D Subject report is a continuation of the Part C report. The Part D Subject report report includes details, more drawings, and more appendices including calculations. You can see it as a detailed design report. The Part C report contains more principles and estimates of element dimension, considerations of details. It is a concept design report.
Requirements#
These include basic requirements, overall requirements and optional requirements.
Basic requirements#
Building Concept#
Development of building concept, including:
Choice of structural system (stiffening elements, beam-column system, floor plates).
Choice of material (concrete, steel, composite, timber etc).
Loading assumptions (dead loads, traffic loads, wind loads).
Structural quality#
The structural quality should ensure lifetimes of 50-100 years for all essential building elements used in the building structure, facades, windows, etc.
Refined Design#
Refinement of preliminary design, only detailing (beams, columns, slabs, core) with respect to ventilation, floor area arrangement (individual offices, open plan office landscape, aisles, recreation areas), and façade connection to main structure.
Load Combinations#
Partial safety factors for different combinations and decisive load cases for overall and local structural design.
Structural Members#
Detail Design of structural members.
Dynamic Properties#
Establish dynamic properties.
Buildability#
Easily buildable solutions are preferred.
Promote maintenance friendly solutions#
Robust and maintenance-friendly solutions should be used throughout the building.
Facade#
Concept design of the connection between the primary load carrying system and the secondary facade load carrying system.
Detailed requirements#
Description of structural system/ static system including connections and stability. Including supports. Including basement.
Description of robustness
Choice of materials
Load collection
Load combinations (3-5)
Max. section forces in main elements.
Detailed design of the most critical main element of the columns, beams, slabs, and wall. Inclusive reduction of capacity for stability.
It is accepted to use suppliers table for HCS, SL deck, pre stressed concrete element beams etc. but the method of choosing the elements should be showed.
If you use any kind of steel profile you should verify the design by hand calculation.
In-situ structures (beams, columns, slabs, core) should be designed.
Columns should be verified inclusive stability (2nd order effect for concrete columns).
Principle design of basement structures as beams, columns slabs. However, if these structures are part of the foundation solution and take forces as a result of that this design should be solved with geotechnical forces in mind.
Construct and draw main details or principle connections (min. 5) (beam/slab/column, beam/slab, core/beam, core/slab, slab/facade etc.)
Horizontal SLS deformations from wind in top of building. Even by hand (finding moment of inertia) or by FEM. 1/500xh.
Plan, elevation, section drawings
Interface description to other subjects (forces to geotechnical, space for installations, collaboration with architects etc.)
Natural frequency of building and corresponding horizontal modeshapes . Is the wind dynamic critical, and how can you then reduce the accelerations.
Concept design for structural integration of special structures (inclined columns, cantilever parts, atrium, auditorium, double height columns etc )).
Description of BIM model
Description of construction methods
Initial Structural fire design of critical beam, column and slab only for concrete
Optional work#
Minimum 2 additional tasks required for 3 person group, and 3 for 4 persons group:
Extensive FEM modeling for more exact results
Axial shortening of columns (creep, shrinkage, elastic)
Detailed calculation of steel composite beams
Detailed calculation of joints.
Detailed calculation of complex joints where stiffness could be relevant.
Detailed analysis of special structures (inclined columns, cantilevered parts, atrium, auditorium etc
Detailed analysis of pre stressed concrete element beam
Detailed façade solutions
Shear lag effects (in tubed systems)
Shear deformations. Any deformations which reduces the stiffness of the system form the ideal cantilevered model. The so called “cantilever efficiency”
Geometric non linear calculations including p delta effects
Detiled structural fire design calculations
Detailed Geotechnical stability analysis
Etc.
Integration#
Structures -> Architecture#
Spaces, materials, architecture e.g.
Do you have the spaces that the designer wishes, also after you have inserted all your columns etc.
Agree with the designer what kind of materials you should use, so you have sustainable materials with a good aesthetic look, but still have the required strength and stiffness.
Is it in general possible to solve the architectural ideas in a good and healthy structural system, or do you, as a structural engineer, need to adjust the initial architectural design to get a better structural system.
The work in subject Structure will initially be in close cooperation with Subject Architecture where the main design parameters of the building should be established. That is; floor plans (including space for technical installations), design of windows, floor height, ventilation concept, heating and cooling system (especially if building integrated solutions are used), and thermal mass. Keep in mind that establishing the right combination of design parameters in the very early phase of the process is the only way to ensure that satisfactory indoor climate and low energy consumption in the building can be made possible
Structures -> MEP#
Façade daylight, installation sizes and collisions of ducts with columns or beams, thermal bridges e.g.
Does your façade solutions, including columns and beams in facade, provide enough daylight into the building? Sometimes beams in the façade prevent high windows and therefore good daylight
Do the structural elements create thermal bridges through the insulated building envelope?
Do you have space for all installations, vertical and horizontal? Have you optimized the required space not to spend client’s money unwisely? Do any installation have to go through structural components, and is that a structural problem? When ducts and pipes branch out from the vertical shaft on every floor, the shaft is often significantly weakened.
Structures -> Geotech#
Max allowable forces to foundation, global bending moment of building e.g.
Discuss with the geotechnical subject if the soil and the foundation system in general.
Structures -> Material#
Depending on the choice of materials, the structural behaviour should be considered and analysed. As a structural engineer you should have a strong opinion of the best material for structural safety and comfort. However, architectural opinions and sustainable solution etc would be important collaborative driver for the project.
Structures -> PM/ICT#
BIM model should fit with structural models e.g.
Structural choices have huge impact on the overall cost of the project. Please discuss this and agree if this fits in the overall economy budget for the project.
You should create the structural BIM Model and coordinate it with the entire BIM model. And check if there are any clash with installation, fire protection, foundation and the architectural concept in general.
There should be similarity between the BIM model the structural choices and structural calculations.