• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.179-191
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• 2021

Tall buildings have generally been developed as solo towers. With the increase of the heights of tall buildings from about 10-story buildings to supertall and megatall buildings, their structural systems have evolved from interior structures to exterior structures and combined/mixed systems. This paper reviews structural systems developed for solo supertall and megatall buildings and discusses the challenges they face in terms of structural performance and architectural design as the building heights are ever increased. As a viable and more sustainable design alternative to extremely tall solo towers, superframed conjoined towers are presented. Their structural performances are investigated in comparison with solo tower structures. Further, architectural potentials of superframed conjoined towers are explored through design studies.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2022

The Spiral, a supertall tower at the Hudson Yards Zoning District of NYC is an new iconic commercial office tower. The spiraling terraces throughout the height of the building creates unique outdoor spaces at each level for its occupants while introduces structural challenges unlike common office towers. Innovative structural solutions and an integrated connection design and steel detailing delivery process proved to be a key factor in the success of the project.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2019

Three cases of supertall connected structures are presented and each of them represents a quite style. The first case is a strong-connected structure. The coupling function of towers and connector contributes a lot to the structural stiffness and stability. Its special construction scheme had great impact on the construction quality and the structural safety, and must be accurately considered. For the second case which is a weak-connected structure, the influences of different connecting modes to the structural dynamic characteristic were explained. Then the combined bearings were proposed to achieve the design presume. In the third case which represents the multi-supported structures, the structural distinctive mechanical properties were discussed. For the structural state during construction process is quite different from that in final service condition, two construction procedures were simulated to get an optimal one. Although there are great challenges to designers, the advantages of the supertall connected buildings are obvious. Further work is needed in this area to adapt to the development of future cities.

• 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.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.197-214
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• 2018

Tall buildings which began from about 40 m tall office towers in the late $19^{th}$ century have evolved into mixed-use megatall towers over 800 m. It is expected that even mile-high towers will soon no longer be a dream. Structural systems have always been one of the most fundamental technologies for the dramatic developments of tall buildings. This paper presents structural systems employed for the world's tallest buildings of different periods since the emergence of supertall buildings in the early 1930s. Further, structural systems used for today's extremely tall buildings over 500 m, such as core-outrigger, braced mega-tube, mixed, and buttressed core systems, are reviewed and their performances are studied. Finally, this paper investigates the potential of superframed conjoined towers as a viable structural and architectural solution for mile-high and even taller towers in the future.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

The Pertamina Energy Tower (PET) and Manhattan West North Tower (MWNT) are two supertall towers recently designed and engineered by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The structural system for both buildings consists of an interior reinforced concrete core and a perimeter moment frame system, which is primarily structural steel. As is typical for tall towers with both concrete and steel elements, staged construction analysis was performed in order to account for the long term effects of creep and shrinkage, which result in differential shortening between the interior concrete core and steel perimeter frame. The particular design of each tower represents two extremes of behavior; PET has a robust connection between the perimeter and core in the form of three sets of outriggers, while the perimeter columns of MWNT do not reach the ground, but are transferred to the core above the base. This paper will present a comparison of the techniques used during the analysis and construction stages of the design process with the goal of understanding the differences in structural behavior of these two building systems in response to the long term effects of creep and shrinkage. This paper will also discuss the design and construction techniques implemented in order to minimize the differential shortening between the interior and exterior over the lifespan of these towers.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2018

Increasingly, mixed-use, multi-program complexes are emerging as the standard development model around the world. As their prominence grows, these projects are becoming increasingly complex. Program adjacencies are ever more intertwined as developers (and the architects who support them) are becoming more comfortable blurring the traditional boundaries between office, retail, residential and hospitality. This article discusses a second generation of mixed-use projects that embrace this hybridization, honing in on supertall architecture, their hybrid program offerings, and innovative sky lobbies. It concludes that programmatic advancements will continue to expand and find integration within single structures, both repositioned and built from the ground up.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.305-318
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• 2016

In the design of super-tall towers, engineers often find the conventional frame systems used in countless buildings in the past decades incapable of providing the required form, performance and constructability demanded by super-tall heights. The strength of the diagrid as a structural system in high-rise towers is the total flexibility it affords the designer as an adaptable, efficient and buildable scheme. Using fundamental engineering principles combined with modern computational tools, designers can take minimum load path forms to create rationalized diagrid geometries to create optimized, highly efficient towers. The use of diagrid frames at SOM has evolved as a structural typology beginning with the large braced frames on the John Hancock Center and continued in modern applications proving to be a powerful system in meeting the demands of supertall buildings.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.49-72
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• 2017

The Guangzhou International Finance Centre (IFC) is a landmark building that symbolizes the emerging international strength of Guangzhou, China's third largest city. It is also one of the dual iconic towers along the main axis of Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town. Arup adopted a total engineering approach in embracing sustainability and aiming at high efficiency solutions based on performance-based design principles covering structures, building services, fire engineering, vertical transportation, and façade performance to constitute an efficient and cost-effective overall building design. Through dynamic integration of architectural and engineering principles, Guangzhou IFC represents a pioneering supertall building in China. It adopts a diagrid exoskeleton structural form that is clearly expressed through the building's façade and gives the building its distinctive character. The aerodynamic shape of the building not only presents the aesthetic quality of elegant simplicity, but also reduces the effects of wind, thereby reducing the size and weight of the structure. State-of-the-art advanced engineering methods, such as optimization techniques and nonlinear finite element modelling, were applied in parallel with large-scale experimental programs to achieve an efficient and high-performance design taking into account the constructability and cost-effectiveness for a project of this scale.