The Independent: A Case Study On Delivering The Architect's Vision With An Economical Concrete High-Rise

Structures Congress 2019 12
The Independent: A Case Study on Delivering the Architect’s Vision with an Economical
Concrete High-Rise
Roger L. Heeringa, P.E., S.E.1; and Kris Swanson, P.E., S.E.2
1
DCI Engineers, 818 Stewart St., Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98101. E-mail: rheeringa@dci-
engineers.com
2
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by University of Wisconsin-Madison on 05/14/19. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
DCI Engineers, 515 South Congress Ave., Suite 600, Austin, TX 78704. E-mail:
kswanson@dci-engineers.com
ABSTRACT
The Independent—the latest high-rise in Austin, Texas—is the tallest concrete residential
high-rise west of the Mississippi. LAM+DCI was the engineer of record for the 63-story high-
rise totaling 89,930.5 m² (968,000-gsf); 360 residential units; and 728 parking stalls. This paper
covers the design challenges required to develop a simple and cost-efficient structural system for
The Independent; to accommodate wind loads based on the building’s shape and orientation; and
to maintain the leading edge architectural design of the building with an economical solution.
These results were achieved through coordinating the construction sequencing, including
contractor means and methods; a basic grid of concrete corner columns and mega columns
supporting post-tension slab and tension rods supporting extended cantilevers; a lateral design
with a thin concrete building core, an outrigger system, and tuned liquid sloshing damper tank.
INTRODUCTION
LAM+DCI (a minority-owned joint venture with Frank Lam & Associates and DCI
Engineers) was tasked with creating a structural design that would bolster the rectilinear shape of
The Independent. Brett Rhode of Rhode Partners, lead designer and Architect of Record, created
a one-of-a-kind design that would provide soaring views and transform the skyline of Austin.
The building’s small floor plate, rectilinear features and overall height produced a spire tower
with a very slender shape and little room for structure.
The project team recommended a simple structural design, utilizing a post tensioned concrete
floor system supported by a basic grid of corner columns and mega columns, exposed tension
rods supporting extended cantilevers, and a single linked central concrete core. The design of the
lateral resisting system involved the use of steel link beams, outrigger trusses, and a damper tank
(see Figure 1). With this design approach, the structural team maximized leasable floor space and
eliminated the need for any transfer beams, which produced cost savings for the client.
The engineering team also designed efficient structural systems for various feature elements,
which include the iconic alternating tiers of extended cantilevered floors, the cantilevered
amenity deck, and cantilevered pool.
GRAVITY
Building Layout
With a tower plate at 947.61 m² (10,200-sf), efficient design was important. The condo tower
layout comprised of eight to nine residential units per floor wrapping around the central core
with each unit having an inset exposed balcony. The flat plate post tension slabs varied from
20.32 cm (8 in) at the parking and residential levels to 30.48 cm (12 in) thick at the amenity and
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Structures Congress 2019

service levels. The lower nine podium levels primarily utilized for parking, integrated the use of
wide-shallow slab beams creating a more open floor plate and allowing for a higher density of
parking (alleviating the need for an additional level of parking).
The efficient structural column layout inset from the perimeter consists of eight mega
columns, four corner columns, and extended cantilever supports which alternate at the tiers (see
Figure 2). The center core encompasses the four passenger elevators, service elevator, trash
room, and interlocking stairway. This created the required two separate paths of egress within a
smaller footprint and allowed everything to fit into a single, simple building core layout and
improve the floor access ratio. The slab design also integrated the use of in-slab ducts (a.k.a.
Eco-Ducts) for the dryer, stove and restroom exhaust of each residential unit eliminating the
need for interior soffits and yielding a full floor-to-ceiling exposure throughout the unit.
Figure 1. Exterior Profile and Cross section. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers
Cantilever Tiers
One of the challenging aspects of the design was creating the iconic building offsets while
keeping the structure simple and within the construction budget. The residential tower consists of
four offsetting shaped tiers that extend 5.79 m (19 ft) from the column gridline. The tiers
alternate from the east to the west side of the building The unique solution, initially developed
together with Rhode Partners as a design feature, was to extend the slab utilizing a series of
exposed 5.08 cm (2 in) diameter steel tension rods and 15.24 cm (6 in) diameter compression
struts manufactured by Macalloy (see Figure 3). This solution limited the actual slab cantilever
to 1.52 m (5 ft) and did not require any increase in slab thickness or the need for any alternate
transfer elements.
The diagonal tension rods connected by pins are anchored to the top of the four main
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building columns and slab with steel knife plate embeds creating a slab support 3.04 m (10 ft)
away from the face of the column. After the installation of the exterior skin, each tier of tension
rods is interconnected by a series of vertical compression struts to help control differential
deflections and vibrations along the slab edge and to create a redundant load path to the tension-
controlled design. Because sequencing of the construction of the tension rods and extended
cantilevers was critical, LAM+DCI worked with the contractor to create a placing, shoring, and
stressing sequence that did not impact the construction cycle.
Figure 2. Structural Layout in Tower. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.
Amenity Truss
One of the structural highlights of the project comes at the amenity space on Level 34. The
design program called for a larger amenity space at the middle of the tower to make space for a
lounge, theatre, board rooms, fitness center and outdoor space; the desire was also to have this
amenity space all on one floor, which would add 232.258 m² (2,500-sf) of space to the floor
plate. To accommodate the increased floor space, the floor plate was extended through a steel
framed cantilever feature (see Figure 4) created by full story steel trusses anchored to the
building columns. Three identical trusses cantilever 9.144 m (30 ft) from the face of the columns,
providing the support for framing out the 232.258 m² (2,500-sf) of extra space needed on Level
34. Like the extended cantilevers, the web members of the trusses also utilized the Macalloy
tension rods and compression struts and became an exposed highlight element for the design.
One challenge in these trusses was to accommodate the structural performance and design of
the more flexible steel framed structure and connect it to the more rigid concrete tower, while
maintaining space for mechanical systems and not inhibiting the use of the space. This challenge
accommodating different systems was solved by minimizing the connection points to the tower
to only occur at the three building columns.
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Figure 3. Close up of tension rod and compression strut configuration. Courtesy of

LAM+DCI Engineers.
Cantilevered Pool
The cantilevered elements of the infinity pool on the 9 th Floor ranges from 1.2 m (4 ft) to 3 m
(10 ft). The unusual shape of the pool (see Figure 5) created a constructability challenge since
there are no right angles in the design. This required the design of angled beams and an
additional partial slab at the base of the pool. The concrete pool has an infinity edge and the
cantilevered deck around the pool offers visitors great views of downtown.
Foundation
The building’s foundation consisted of straight shaft drilled piers extending into to the
Stratum III “Buda” limestone located approximately 35 m (115 ft) below existing grade (see
Figure 6). Single drilled piers ranging from 76 cm (30 in) diameter to 183 cm (72 in) diameter
were located under the principle building columns and a group of 16 - 183 cm (72 in) diameter
piers located under the central core. Temporary casing of the piers was required for the top 4.5 m
© ASCE

(15 ft). The group of piers under the core were connected by a single 19.5 m (64 ft) square x 3.35
m (11 ft) thick cap. Due to the relatively deep geometry and proportion of supports, both
computer finite element modeling and conventional strut and tie theory analysis were used to
develop the most efficient design. High strength Grade 517 mpa (75 ksi) rebar was also used to
help mitigate rebar congestion in both the piers and cap.
Figure 4. View of the amenity truss. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.
Figure 5. The cantilevered infinity pool. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.

LATERAL
Core Layout
The relatively tall and slender building produced structural challenges for both acceleration
and deflections. The lateral resisting system is composed of a single central reinforced concrete
core with steel link beams over the door openings providing the primary resistance to lateral
loads. Due to the small floor plate, space for structure was at a premium. LAM+DCI worked to
minimize the footprint of the structural elements by utilizing the smallest core proportion
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possible while providing the required shear strength to resist the induced wind loads. The
resulting core has a height/width ratio of more than 17, producing a relatively slender core. The
two core walls without openings are 71.12 cm (28 in) thick, while the other two walls with door
openings are 81.28 cm (32 in) thick (see Figure 7). Integrating a thinner core resulted an
estimated $5M of benefit to the owner in additional sellable area.
Due to the limited depth available over the door openings, conventionally reinforced concrete
coupling beams would not provide the adequate stiffness necessary and fit within the boundaries
of the thinner core section. LAM+DCI integrated the use of steel reinforced coupling beams
using embedded wide flange shaped sections over the door openings (see Figure 7), taking
advantage of their increased performance in stiffness and design capacity to help maintain
acceptable building periods. Finite element analysis estimated the fundamental periods for the
first three modes of vibration at 6.6s, 6.4s and 2.1s, respectively.
Figure 6. View and section of pier cap underneath core.

Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.
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Figure 7. Core Layout & Steel Coupling Beam Elevation. Courtesy LAM+DCI Engineers.
Figure 8. View of wind tunnel model. Courtesy of Windtech.
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Figure 9. Exterior outrigger truss (top). Cross section view (bottom): Red arrows represent
direction of transfer force. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.
Wind Study
Because The Independent is a tall yet slender building, the design team chose to have an
advanced high frequency wind tunnel study conducted by Windtech (see Figure 8). The analysis
defined the most accurate wind related loading and response of the tower based on building
accelerations and critical dampening for 700-year, 50-year, 10-year, and 5 & 1-year return
periods. These return periods were utilized for the associative design states along with the
appropriate cracking and dampening ratios providing a much more balanced lateral design for
the building. This was particularly influential for the serviceability states and foundation design,
where we were able to reduce foundation overturning forces by more than 10% over forces based
from ASCE 7-10. The wind tunnel analysis showed that the tall and slender square shaped
building was subject to increased forces due to crosswind effects caused by turbulent flows
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and/or vortex shedding. While these effects created some added challenges to the core design,
LAM+DCI worked closely with Windtech to optimize the performance of the structure, creating
an efficient design and providing cost savings to the project.
Figure 10. Embed connections of outrigger truss to core and column. Courtesy of
LAM+DCI Engineers.
Outrigger Truss
Having a slender core increased the efficiency of the floor plate and allowed for more
sellable floor space for the owner; but it did create challenges in keeping the building
accelerations and deflections within acceptable levels. While the design strength of the single
central core is adequate to resist all induced shear forces, an outrigger system along with a
damper was necessary at the top of the building to reduce overturning forces in the core and
mitigate the building deflections and accelerations. The only feasible location to put the outrigger
system was at the top of the building where it was also integrated into the structure of the crown
(see Figure 9).
The outrigger consists of steel framed trusses oriented in each principle direction connecting
the central core to the outer eight mega columns. The outrigger system effectively reduced
building motions, deformations and overturning moments on the core foundation. Since the
columns and core walls are slightly offset in plan, the outrigger framing system passes through
the core creating a continuous tie across the building. One of the largest challenges faced was
designing connections that could withstand the large forces required, yet remain efficient and
constructible. LAM+DCI designed the outrigger connections utilizing a combination of
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embedded steel members and composite embeds that connected through the core and into the
mega columns (see Figure 10). Efficient outrigger truss construction was accomplished by
collaborating closely with the steel fabricator and erector by making the design to best fit the
logistics and on-site construction efforts. These efforts were successful and helped to
significantly reduced costly time and expense spent in the field on these relatively complex
connections.
Figure 11. Cross section and interior views of the damper tank. Courtesy of Fibertech Inc
& Gulf Coast Tanks.
Damper Tank
The initial building design required a 113,562-liter (30,000-gallon) fire suppression tank at
the roof. This tank was modified to perform as a semi-tuned liquid sloshing damper that when
tuned can provide up to 2% of auxiliary damping at service level state but can also provide up to
0.9% dampening with a tuning ratio of 0.8. A conservative assumption of 0.5% damping was
used for the design effectively reducing the building accelerations and improving occupant
comfort. The size of the tank was increased to hold a total of 189,270.58 liters (50,000 gallons)
of water and can be used as emergency fire protection. The self-contained damper tank at
approximately 9.14 m x 9.14 m x 3.0 m (30’ x 30’ x 10’) consists of a series of interior cruciform
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shaped baffles separated by an upper and lower chamber. Scaled tests of the damper were
conducted by Windtech and Western Sydney University to confirm satisfactory performance of
the chambered tank.
Multiple options were explored for the construction of the tank, with a pre-fabricated
composite steel and fiberglass tank designed and manufactured by Fibertech Inc and installed by
Gulf Coast Tanks (see Figure 11). The innovative design provided several benefits that included
being pre-manufactured, self-contained, lightweight, superior corrosion protection performance
and less expensive than a fabricated steel tank. The damper tank comes as a lightweight
prefabricated kit of parts that is bolted together requiring no additional field welding or demand
from the tower crane. The liquid slosh tank is designed to withstand the internal hydrostatic
forces and anchored to the structure by support curbs. The room in which the tank resides is also
separately waterproofed with internal drainage as a redundant safety measure in the event a leak
were ever to arise.
Figure 12. Construction of the rooftop room where the damper tank would eventually
reside. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.
The dead weight of the damper tank and the increase in the tank capacity are the only
increased loading on the building. The general overall cost of the fiberglass damper tank was
approximately US$650,000.
CONCLUSION
LAM+DCI designed the lateral and gravity systems which honored the architectural vision of
The Independent. Project efficiencies were gained by effective use of materials and innovative
design approaches. These include a simple layout of the gravity system that accommodates the
alternating extended cantilevers, the amenity level and the cantilevered pool, and a thinner
concrete building core that utilizes both an outrigger system, and a tuned liquid sloshing damper
tank to provide occupant comfort and the ability to resist the required wind loads. The structural
solutions presented, and collaborative approach taken by the team members, kept the building’s
elegant cantilever tiered design intact while maintaining an effective budget. The estimated year
of completion for The Independent is early 2019.
REFERENCES
“Wind-Induced Structural Loads and Building Motion Study,” by Windtech. WC145-
01F04(REV0) – BB Report, 22 December 2014
“Liquid Damper Design,” by Windtech WC145-04F02(REV1) – 22 January 2018
© ASCE

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Structures Congress 2019 12

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Figure 1. Exterior Profile and Cross section. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers

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Figure 2. Structural Layout in Tower. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.

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Figure 3. Close up of tension rod and compression strut configuration. Courtesy of

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Figure 4. View of the amenity truss. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.

Figure 5. The cantilevered infinity pool. Courtesy of LAM+DCI Engineers.

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Figure 6. View and section of pier cap underneath core.

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Figure 8. View of wind tunnel model. Courtesy of Windtech.

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