Cladding Design for Tall Buildings

Reed, D. A.; ,

Cladding Design for Tall Buildings

by D. A. Reed, Univ of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Dynamic Response of Structures

Abstract:

In the past twenty years, glass cladding has emerged as a popular and economic building material. Its use in tall buildings which are constructed in high-risk wind and seismic geographical regions has provided an impetus for increased research activity in the areas of fracture mechanics, wind engineering and the dynamic behavior of tall buildings. Despite recent gains, the behavior of glass cladding under various types of loading conditions is still not fully understood. The major objective of the paper was to examine present procedures and proposed changes for glass cladding under wind pressure and seismic loading conditions. Strategies for the reduction of failures due to missile impact include provisions for the reduction in potentially hazardous roofing materials, the use of metal screens or covers and the investigation of the economic feasibility of requiring laminated glass in the lower stories of buildings which are highly susceptible to impact damage. Relatively minor attention has been focused upon the performance of glass panels during and after an earthquake. Damage to nonstructural elements for a reinforced concrete building subjected to lateral loading has been examined recently by the U. S. -Japan Joint Technical Coordinating Committee. Local attachment of glass panels was found to be the critical factor for determining failure.

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