Abstract

The recent surge in global population, particularly in urban areas, has led to a significant rise in the demand for tall buildings structures featuring multiple towers on a shared podium. Such complex configurations often result in intricate interactions between towers and podium structures, particularly under lateral loads induced by earthquakes. One of the critical structural behaviours observed in such systems is the backstay effect, which arises due to discontinuities in the lateral force-resisting systems between the podium and the towers. This study investigates the seismic performance of a double tower 24-storey commercial building connected by a common podium, with an emphasis on understanding how podium characteristics and perimeter retaining walls influence the overall seismic response. The research utilizes ETABS software to develop four structural models of the building, varying primarily in the presence and stiffness of retaining walls at the podium level. Response Spectrum Analysis is used to assess storey displacements, drifts, and shears under seismic loading. The results demonstrate that models with retaining walls exhibit significantly improved lateral stiffness and reduced displacements compared to models without retaining walls. Furthermore, two models are assigned with upper bound and lower bound stiffness parameters. The notable outcome is the observation of shear reversal at the podium level in models with stiffer retaining walls, highlighting the manifestation of backstay effects. This demonstrates that stiffness in the diaphragm is key to how loads are redistributed in podium-tower systems. The results of this study provide insight into how high-rise towers on podiums respond to earthquakes and help secure their stability.

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1. Zhang H., Li F., Tai J., & Zhou J. (2021), “Research on structural design of an isolated high-rise building with enlarged base and multiple tower layer in high-intensity area”, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Article 6669388.
2. Wang L., & Lei H. (2021), “Structural analysis of a multi-tower building with a large chassis in a business district”, Applied Mechanics and Materials, Volume 887, pp. 123–128.
3. Jeong S. Y., Kang T. H. K., Yoon J. K., & Klemencic, R. (2020) “Seismic performance evaluation of a tall building: Practical modelling of surrounding basement structures”, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 31, 101420.
4. Taqiuddin M., & Banu V. L. S. (2019), “Numerical study on behaviour of non-tower building attached with tower”, International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Volume 8, pp. 1234–1238.
5. Tura C., & Orakçal K. (2019), “Earthquake response analysis of multiple towers on a common podium: A representative case study”, Teknik Dergi, Volume 30, pp. 9647–9673.
6. Zhou Y., Chen P., Wang C., Zhang L., & Lu L. (2018), “Seismic performance evaluation of tall, multi-tower reinforced concrete buildings with large bottom podiums”, Structural Concrete, Volume 19, pp. 1591–1607.
7. Mehair Yacoubian, Nelson Lama, Elisa Lumantarna, John L. Wilson, (2017), “Effects of podium interference on shear force distributions in tower walls supporting tall buildings”, Engineering Structures, Volume 148, pp. 639–659.
8. Hao L., Yao Z., Hu S. H. (2008), “Flexible transfer floor for large podium multi towers”, Journal of Building Structures, Volume 29, pp. 45–50.
9. Lu X., Gong Z., Weng D., & Ren X. (2007), “The application of a new structural control concept for tall building with large podium structure”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, Volume 6, pp. 123–130.

• Xu Y. L., Chen J., Ng C. L., & Qu W. L. (2005), “Semi-active seismic response control of buildings with podium structure”, Journal of Structural Engineering, Volume 131, pp. 939–948.

Abstract

The recent surge in global population, particularly in urban areas, has led to a significant rise in the demand for tall buildings structures featuring multiple towers on a shared podium. Such complex configurations often result in intricate interactions between towers and podium structures, particularly under lateral loads induced by earthquakes. One of the critical structural behaviours observed in such systems is the backstay effect, which arises due to discontinuities in the lateral force-resisting systems between the podium and the towers. This study investigates the seismic performance of a double tower 24-storey commercial building connected by a common podium, with an emphasis on understanding how podium characteristics and perimeter retaining walls influence the overall seismic response. The research utilizes ETABS software to develop four structural models of the building, varying primarily in the presence and stiffness of retaining walls at the podium level. Response Spectrum Analysis is used to assess storey displacements, drifts, and shears under seismic loading. The results demonstrate that models with retaining walls exhibit significantly improved lateral stiffness and reduced displacements compared to models without retaining walls. Furthermore, two models are assigned with upper bound and lower bound stiffness parameters. The notable outcome is the observation of shear reversal at the podium level in models with stiffer retaining walls, highlighting the manifestation of backstay effects. This demonstrates that stiffness in the diaphragm is key to how loads are redistributed in podium-tower systems. The results of this study provide insight into how high-rise towers on podiums respond to earthquakes and help secure their stability.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Zhang H., Li F., Tai J., & Zhou J. (2021), “Research on structural design of an isolated high-rise building with enlarged base and multiple tower layer in high-intensity area”, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Article 6669388.
2. Wang L., & Lei H. (2021), “Structural analysis of a multi-tower building with a large chassis in a business district”, Applied Mechanics and Materials, Volume 887, pp. 123–128.
3. Jeong S. Y., Kang T. H. K., Yoon J. K., & Klemencic, R. (2020) “Seismic performance evaluation of a tall building: Practical modelling of surrounding basement structures”, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 31, 101420.
4. Taqiuddin M., & Banu V. L. S. (2019), “Numerical study on behaviour of non-tower building attached with tower”, International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Volume 8, pp. 1234–1238.
5. Tura C., & Orakçal K. (2019), “Earthquake response analysis of multiple towers on a common podium: A representative case study”, Teknik Dergi, Volume 30, pp. 9647–9673.
6. Zhou Y., Chen P., Wang C., Zhang L., & Lu L. (2018), “Seismic performance evaluation of tall, multi-tower reinforced concrete buildings with large bottom podiums”, Structural Concrete, Volume 19, pp. 1591–1607.
7. Mehair Yacoubian, Nelson Lama, Elisa Lumantarna, John L. Wilson, (2017), “Effects of podium interference on shear force distributions in tower walls supporting tall buildings”, Engineering Structures, Volume 148, pp. 639–659.
8. Hao L., Yao Z., Hu S. H. (2008), “Flexible transfer floor for large podium multi towers”, Journal of Building Structures, Volume 29, pp. 45–50.
9. Lu X., Gong Z., Weng D., & Ren X. (2007), “The application of a new structural control concept for tall building with large podium structure”, Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, Volume 6, pp. 123–130.

• Xu Y. L., Chen J., Ng C. L., & Qu W. L. (2005), “Semi-active seismic response control of buildings with podium structure”, Journal of Structural Engineering, Volume 131, pp. 939–948.