Turning with the Wind

by Ian Liddell, Partner; Buro Happold, Bath, U.K., and New York City,
Peter Heppel, Independent Engr.; London, England,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 2001, Vol. 71, Issue 7, Pg. 38-43


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

A 125-m high tower built at the site of the Glasgow Science Center in the United Kingdom required some innovative design methods. To reduce the aerodynamic effects imposed on the slender structure, engineers mounted the tower on a turntable so that it could be rotated to face the mean wind direction. The tower structure consists of a main shaft, which contains the stair, and airfoil-shaped outriggers that control the airflow around the shaft to prevent vortex shedding, thus steadying the tower.

Subject Headings: High-rise buildings | Shafts | Wind engineering | Wind direction | Vortex shedding | Structural control | Stairs

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