• Wind and Structures
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.143-158
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• 2000

This report presents the findings of a one-year monitoring effort to empirically characterize and evaluate the nature of near-ground winds for structural engineering purposes. The current wind engineering practice in the United States does not explicitly consider certain important near-ground wind characteristics in typical rough terrain conditions and the possible effect on efficient design of low-rise structures, such as homes and other light-frame buildings that comprise most of the building population. Therefore, near ground wind data was collected for the purpose of comparing actual near-ground wind characteristics to the current U.S. wind engineering practice. The study provides data depicting variability of wind speeds, wind velocity profiles for a major thunderstorm event and a northeaster, and the influence of thunderstorms on annual extreme wind speeds at various heights above ground in a typical rough environment. Data showing the decrease in the power law exponent with increasing wind speed is also presented. It is demonstrated that near-ground wind speeds (i.e., less than 10 m above ground) are likely to be over-estimated in the current design practice by as much as 20 percent which may result in wind load over-estimate of about 50% for low-rise buildings in typical rough terrain. The importance of thunderstorm wind profiles on determination of design wind speeds and building loads (particularly for buildings substantially taller than 10 m) is also discussed. Recommendations are given for possible improvements to the current design practice in the United States with respect to low-rise buildings in rough terrain and for the need to study the impact of thunderstorm gust profile shapes on extreme value wind speed estimates and building loads.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.490-498
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• 2020

In this study, the seismic performance of low-rise piloti buildings with eccentric core (shear wall) positions was analyzed and reviewed. A prototype was selected among constructed low-rise piloti buildings with eccentric cores designed based on KBC2005. The seismic performance of the building showed plastic behavior in the X-direction and elastic behavior in the Y-direction. The inter-story drift is larger than that of a concentric core case and has the maximum allowed drift ratio. The displacement ratio of the first story is much larger than that of upper stories, and the frame structure in the first story is vulnerable to lateral force. Therefore, low-rise piloti buildings with eccentric cores need to have less lateral displacement, as well as reinforcement of the lateral resistance capacity in seismic design and seismic retrofit.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.85-92
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• 2017

Base isolation system is generally used for low-rise buildings. For high-rise buildings subjected to earthquake loads, a mid-story isolation system was proposed and applied to practical engineering. In this study, seismic responses of high-rise buildings considering the installation story of the mid-story isolation system were evaluated. To do this, the 20-story and 30-story building were used as example structures. Historical earthquakes such as Kobe (1995), Northridge (1994) and Loma Prieta (1989) earthquakes were employed applied as earthquake excitations. The installation location of the mid-story isolation system was changed from the bottom of the $1^{st}$ floor to the bottom of the top floor. The seismic responses of the example building were investigated by changing the location of the isolation layer. Based on the analytical results, when the seismic isolation system is applied, story drift ratio and acceleration response are reduced compared to the case without the isolation system. When the isolation layer is located on the lower part of the building, it is most effective. However, in that case, the possibility that the structure is unstable increases. Therefore, an engineer should consider both structural efficiency and safety when a mid-story isolation system for a high-rise building is designed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.11-32
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• 2024

In recent years, urban landscapes across the globe have undergone a remarkable transformation marked by a substantial surge in skyscraper development. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the contemporary evolution of tall buildings, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East. It surveys tall building development in the ten "tallest cities" across the Middle East, including Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Riyadh, Manama, Tel Aviv, Kuwait, Mecca, and Jeddah, while listing the tallest ten buildings in each city. The focus sharpens on Dubai, UAE, serving as a compelling case study that vividly illustrates the city's swift metamorphosis from a low-rise to a high-rise urban center. Through meticulous examination, the study aims to unveil the key drivers propelling the construction of the world's tallest buildings, asserting that globalization factors play a pivotal role in fostering this transformative shift. The impetus behind this surge is rooted in the aspiration to project a modern and progressive image on the global stage. With Dubai at the forefront, cities in the Middle East strategically endeavor to reshape their international image and reclaim historical grandeur through ambitious skyscraper projects.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.327-332
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• 2017

This paper discusses several topics associated with the densification caused by supertall buildings and their impact on city systems. The paper covers five key areas where a supertall tower creates a concentration of needs and effects. First, the paper comments on population shifts towards the city and how they affect carbon footprint, utilities infrastructure and transport. The effect of single- and mixed-use towers is discussed in the context of population density. The second section brings the issues of transit, accessibility and master planning into focus. The use and criticality of public transport, cycling and walking is described. Servicing and deliveries using freight consolidation and shared systems is also discussed along with their contribution to the culture of sustainable travel. In the third section the paper reflects on supertall buildings' below-ground utilities and drainage provision, particularly the challenges faced in established city infrastructures. The utilities issues associated with supertall concentration (in land-use terms) compared to equivalent low-rise distribution is also commented on in the context of surface water runoff. In the fourth section, the topic of supertall sustainability is discussed and how city systems need to respond to create desirable and affordable space for occupiers. The changing need for vertical communities, 'stacked neighbourhoods' and the notion of a micro-city is described. Finally, the paper considers the energy consumption and resilience of supertall buildings in the context of basic geometry, façade design, climate and mixed-use benefits as they impact city systems.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2006

The population of Daegu, the third biggest city in Korea, is two point six million. Daegu is known as a basin or a city where it is not only too hot in summer but also too cold in winter. Recently with redevelopment apartment house boom, a 40-story or more apartment complexes are under construction near Shin-cheon and Dondaegu-ro, the south-north axis of Daegu. It is necessary to raise several points about blocking a road of the wind by high-rise apartment buildings and apartment complexes. As a kind of the green policy, Daegu enlarge the distance between apartment building by reconstructing low-rise apartment into high-rise and impose a duty of a green space on the ground by making a parking zone into an underground. Through this process, apartment complexes changed from a '一'shape to a '口'shape. It increases heat island phenomenon of a city by blocking a road of the wind that comes from Shin-cheon and Dondaegu-ro. To circulate the polluted air of Daegu basin, we need local wind. There are four effective measures. 1) Throw three greens into one in the center of the road at the north side in the same way of the south side of Dongdaegu-ro, 2) reflect the information of roads of the wind including heights, spaces and directions of buildings, 3) steer clear of a high-rise buildings and development apartment house constructions, and 4)select a city for benchmarking to be the environmental capital.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.132-137
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• 2015

A modular construction method includes factory-prefabricated room-sized volumetric units. Although low-rise buildings have been constructed worldwide using this method for more than 30 years, it is a relatively new technology in high-rise construction. There are three basic methods of constructing high-rise buildings using modular construction: the core method, the core-and-podium combination method, and the modular in-fill method. While the first two have been used in the USA and in several European countries, the third method, introduced in 2011 by an international cruise ship development firm, is a rather new approach for which there are few case histories. Therefore, its applicability and construction feasibility should be verified. As a pilot study to test the applicability of the modular in-fill method, a 12-story residential building was built in Korea. This paper describes a case study of the pilot project. The advantages and disadvantages of the method and its applicability in terms of cost effectiveness and construction schedule management were evaluated.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.49-71
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• 2015

The present paper aims at evaluating damage and collapse behavior of low-rise buildings with unidirectional mass irregularities in plan (torsional buildings). In previous earthquake events, such buildings have been exposed to extensive damages and even total collapse in some cases. To investigate the performance and collapse behavior of such buildings from probabilistic points of view, three-dimensional three and six-story reinforced concrete models with unidirectional mass eccentricities ranging from 0% to 30% and designed with modern seismic design code provisions specific to intermediate ductility class were subjected to nonlinear static as well as extensive nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) under a set of far-field real ground motions containing 21 two-component records. Performance of each model was then examined by means of calculating conventional seismic design parameters including the response reduction (R), structural overstrength (${\Omega}$) and structural ductility (${\mu}$) factors, calculation of probability distribution of maximum inter-story drift responses in two orthogonal directions and calculation collapse margin ratio (CMR) as an indicator of performance. Results demonstrate that substantial differences exist between the behavior of regular and irregular buildings in terms of lateral load capacity and collapse margin ratio. Also, results indicate that current seismic design parameters could be non-conservative for buildings with high levels of plan eccentricity and such structures do not meet the target "life safety" performance level based on safety margin against collapse. The adverse effects of plan irregularity on collapse safety of structures are more pronounced as the number of stories increases.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.467-485
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• 2015

This paper presents a comprehensive work on determination of yield base shear coefficient and displacement ductility factor of three to eight story actual reinforced concrete buildings, instead of using generic frames. The building data is provided by a walkdown survey in different locations of the pilot areas. Very detailed three dimensional models of the selected buildings are generated by using the data provided in architectural and reinforcement projects. Capacity curves of the buildings are obtained from nonlinear static pushover analyses and each capacity curve is approximated with a bilinear curve. Characteristic points of capacity curve, the yield base shear capacity, the yield displacement and the ultimate displacement capacity, are determined. The calculated values of the yield base shear coefficients and the displacement ductility factors for directions into consideration are compared by those expected values given in different versions of Turkish Seismic Design Code. Although having sufficient lateral strength capacities, the deformation capacities of these typical mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings are found to be considerably low.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.463-464
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• 2009

This study proposes a new rapid-screening method for more reasonably evaluation the seismic capacities of low-rise RC buildings controlled by both shear and flexure. At the same time, this develops the equation of damage judgement and seismic capacity evaluation for quantitatively evaluating the seismic capacities. Using this evaluating method, it is impossible to estimate the evaluation score and earthquake-damage degree confronted with this and evaluate for efficiently the seismic capacities