A Case of the Shakes

by Anthony C. Webster, Director for Structures; Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, New York, NY,
Matthys P. Levy, (F.ASCE), Principal; Weidlinger Associates, New York, NY,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1992, Vol. 62, Issue 2, Pg. 58-60


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

New York City's unusual Terrace on the Park offers dining and dancing in a catered ballroom that stands six stories above the ground on four supercolumns. But when guests started dancing near the edges of the cantilevered floors, the building started vibrating. Structural analysis showed there was nothing to fear, but the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owners of the building, had received too many complaints and were worried about business. By using tuned-mass dampers, Weidlinger Associates, Structural Engineers, New York, were able to drop the vibrations to imperceptible levels quickly and invisibly, for less than one-sixth the cost of alternative methods.

Subject Headings: Vibration | Buildings | Structural analysis | Ports and harbors | Parks | Owners | Floors

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