Contribution of Reinforced Concrete Floor Slabs to Lateral Behavior of Tall Buildings

This paper focuses on how the coupling of the columns and walls through the structural slab contributes to the overall stiffness and strength of lateral systems. The rationale and procedures behind the design approach, which may offer a shift from more conventional assumptions made regarding compatibility and connectivity of gravity and lateral structural systems, will be introduced. The impacts on serviceability and strength design will be discussed, and observations on key design and analysis approaches will be featured. Mass and stiffness assumptions will also be reviewed. A case study on the topic will be presented describing implementation of slab coupling into engineering of a building project.