Structural steel framing options for mid- and high rise buildings

Abstract

Selecting a structural system for a building is a complex, multidisciplinary process. No design project is the same; however, there are certain criteria that are commonly true in the initial phase of evaluating different structural schemes. These criteria encompass all aspects of a full, functioning building, forcing the design team to be creative in their approach of satisfying all facets. An investigation was carried out for several structural steel framing options available to designers. The schemes describe how each successfully resist lateral loads explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each. Many of the structural design tools available for initial structural system evaluation are strength based. The demand for cheaper, more efficient and taller structures has paved the way for performance based design. A simple cantilever beam performance based analysis was utilized to evaluate three common structural framing schemes in order to gain a better understanding of the performance of each. Results give recommendations for efficient structural solutions for proposed buildings as a function of height.