The influence of structural and non-structural components on the lateral performance of high-rise buildings

Abetter understanding of structure performance through the quantification of contributions from secondary elements of high-rise buildings is being investigated as a part of a thrust to optimize the design of high-rise buildings. This paper presents a brief discussion on design development of high-rise buildings and has analyzed current design limitations. Integration of primary and secondary structural components has been identified to be significant to the lateral performance of high-rise buildings. To qualify contributions of different portions, especially non-structural elements such as infill panel and facade to the lateral performance of high-rise structure, quasi-static analysis of models with different structure configurations have been undertaken. In particular, a 32-story building has been studied in detail. The paper concludes with a summary of the contributions made by different parts of high-rise buildings to resist lateral loads and presents influences caused by design and construction incoherence. Limitations of this part of research are also explained, followed by recommendations to future work.