A RESEARCH ON DYNAMIC SKYSCRAPER'S

WITH RELATION TO RIGID SKYSCRAPERS

DISSERTATION – SAFFA ROSHAN PM – CRESCENT SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
DISSERTATION GUIDE- MRS. THILADHAVATHY.
INTRODUCTION

 At present, it is impossible to find a major city without Skyscrapers. Tall buildings are the most famous landmark of
the cities, symbol of pride, dominance in power, confidence in human ingenuity over nature. The importance of
skyscrapers in the present and future urban development is without doubt increasing.
 They were made possible as a result of the Bessemer process of mass production of steel beams.
 The first modern skyscraper was created in 1885—the 10-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago.
 Early extant skyscrapers include the 1891 Wainwright Building in St. Louis and the 1902 Flatiron Building in New York
City.
 The feasibility and desirability of tall buildings have always depended on the available materials, the level of
construction technology and the state of development of the services necessary for the use of the building.
 Therefore. advances in structural design concepts. analytical techniques and a more sophisticated construction
industry with the collaboration of lightweight materials it has become quite easy to construct tall skyscrapers at a
low cost premium compared to conventional construction.
HISTORY OF SKYSCRAPERS

The First Generation 1780-1850

The exterior walls of these buildings consisted of stone or brick, although sometimes cast iron was added for decorative purposes. The columns were constructed
of cast iron, often unprotected; steel and wrought iron was used for thebeams; and the floors were made of wood.

The Second Generation 1850-1940

Second generation of tall buildings, which includes the metropolitan life building(1909), the Woolworth building (1913), and the empire state building (1931),
areframe structures, in which a skeleton of welded- or riveted-steel columns and beams, often encased in concrete, runs through the entire building.
This type of construction makes for an extremely strong structure, but not such attractive floor space. The interiors are full of heavy, load-bearing columns and
walls

The Third Generation 1940 - Present

Buildings constructed from after world war ii until today make up the most recent generation of high-rise buildings. Within this generation there are thoseof
steel-framed construction (core construction and tube construction), reinforced concrete construction (shear wall), and steel-framed reinforced concrete
construction. Hybrid systems also evolved during this time. These systems make use more than one type of structural system in a building.
ORIGIN

 The concept was originated in USA, in Chicago and New York,

where the space was limited and where the best option was to
increase the height ofthe building.
 1) Home Insurance Building in Chicago was perhaps the first
skyscraper in the world. Built in 1884; it was 42m (138 ft) high
with 10 floors.
 2)a) Equitable Building in New York is a building of extra ordinary
significance, because it was 1st office building with elevator.
 b) The old Equitable Life Building was destroyed by fire in 1912;
and the new Equitable Building replaced the old one and opened
in 1915.
 c) The height of Equitable Building is 164m (538 ft) with 40 floors.
EVOLUTION OF SKYSCRAPERS

• Skyscrapers were made possible as a result of the Bessemer process of mass production of steel beams.
• The first modern skyscraper was created in 1885—the 10-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago.
• Early extant skyscrapers include the 1891 Wainwright Building in St. Louis and the 1902 Flatiron
Building in New York City.

• THE SIX CHALLENGES FACED DURING EVOLUTION OF SKYSCRAPERS

THE FIRST CHALLENGE

 ELEVATORS
 The first big obstacle to Skyscrapers is the Stair.
 The obvious solution to the problem is Elevator.
 The early Elevators had one deadly fault.
 They are lifted using a single rope and if the rope
broke; nothing can stop them from falling.
 In 1854, Elisha Otis from Vermont along with his
sons designed safety elevator and demonstrated
it in Worlds fair in New York city.
 Without an safety elevator the Skyscrapers
would be impossible.
 THE SECOND CHALLENGE
 MATERIALS
 Another crucial development was the use of Steel Frame instead of Stone or Brick.
 The Monadnock Building in Chicago opened in 1893 is the worlds largest office
block at that time with 16 storey. The walls at the bottom were whopping 2m thick to
bear the weight of Monadnock . The structure was extremely heavy that it soon
began to sink.
 Eventually Half a meter of Bricks and Mortar disappeared underground. This made
the architect of Monadnock , Daniel Burnham to realize that Stone was not a
Building Material for Skyscrapers.
 When Daniel Burner was planning Fuller Building in New York he designed it with
Steel Columns and Beams locked together into a Steel skeleton.
 Steel is much stronger and lighter than stone. Thus it could reduce the weight of the
structure.
 To keep the weather out Burnham could simply hang Thin Masonry walls off steel
frame like curtains.
 The Modern Skyscrapers are built with Steel or Reinforced Concrete frames
 Before using Steel Skeleton, one could build to a maximum of 10 to 12 floors. But
now sky was literally the limit.
THE THIRD CHALLENGE
 HEAT
 After development of Structural steel and Reinforced Concrete
exterior walls of Building were no longer required for structural
support. Hence Curtain walls are used in place of Masonry walls.
 A Curtain wall system is an outer covering of a building in which
outer walls are Non-Structural, but merely keeps the weather out and
the Occupants in. As curtain wall is non structural it can be made of
light weight material.
 When Glass is used, a great advantage is natural light can penetrate
deeper with in building. •, the Glass walls allows Solar radiation into
buildings along with Light. This makes things uncomfortable inside
building.
 In 1947, when United Nations designed their head quarters in New
York, they wanted to cover the building with glass. But they were in
dilemma if it would turn it into a heat house. An American engineer
Willis Carrier cracked cooling problem. • He invented a machine that
could cool hot moist air by making it wet.
 Solar and Thermal control Glasses are being used in Modern
Skyscrapers to make them more convenient.
FOURTH CHALLENGE
SPEED
 The problem with skyscrapers at that time is they took much longer
time to build.
 For construction of World Trade Center in New York Engineers
invented a much faster way of building Skyscrapers. The solution they
came up with is to prefabricate sections of towers and assemble them.
 Using Kangaroo Cranes from Australia they lifted up 50 ton
prefabricated sections and placed them in positions. After assembling 3
floors , the bottom of crane is released, jumped 3 floors up and locked
back in place. Using prefabricated sections and Kangaroo cranes
Builders managed to finish 3 floors every week.
 In modern Skyscrapers like Burj Dubai new technology called jump
forming is used. The Kangaroo Cranes places the steel cages in
special moulds called Jump Forms and then Concrete is placed in it.
 After hardening of Concrete the mould along with kangaroo cranes
jumps up with help of Hydraulic pistons. In this way the structure is cast
in place layer by layer.
 Prefabrication technology allowed giant Skyscrapers to grow ever
faster, which made them even profitable and desirable.
 THE FIFTH CHALLENGE

WIND
 As skyscrapers grown higher into the clouds they became exposed to a new enemy
“THE WIND”.
 A high speed wind can be extremely dangerous for a skyscraper. Air rushes around
the buildings and forms mini tornadoes called “Vortices”. These areas of low pressure
sucks the building sideways and taller the building the more dangerous the vortices
become.
 To build 442m Sears tower in Chicago in firmly windy city engineers had to turn
skyscraper inside out. • Building a skyscraper using a traditional steel skeleton would
have caused massive problems. The tall one skeleton gets, the more susceptible to
bending in high winds.
 Architects of Sears Tower inverted a technology that would beat wind. They shifted
steel framework from inside of building to outside. This is called “Exoskeleton” and
made it very hard for wind to bend the building.
 In Sears Tower, 9 such tubes locked together to make building rock solid. • The
setbacks are provided in design of building to seal the wind in modern skyscraper. • In
Taipei 101, tuned marks damper of 728 tons is used to stabilise the building from wind
forces.
THE SIXTH CHALLENGE
 EARTHQUAKES
 To make 509m tall Taipei 101 possible skyscraper had to take another
leap forward. In 1999, the architects of world’s tallest skyscraper at that
time Taipei 101 in Taiwan faced a big problem.
 Taipei sits near the pacific ring of fire the most seismically active area on
earth. An earthquake hits the city roughly twice an year. • Earthquakes
are really strong when compared to winds. Wind loading will rarely break
a large building, but for a earthquake its quite easy to do that.
 To survive in fast and violent earthquakes the Taipei 101 needs elasticity.
So designers made their building rigid where it had to be and flexible
where it could afford to.
 At heart of Taipei 101, they put 36 steel columns filled with concrete that
give building strength while the columns stand firmly during an
earthquake the rest of structure is elastic, it can flex and roll with
punches.
 On 31st march 2002, earthquake hits Taipei 101. The earthquake
shattered smaller buildings. But Taipei 101 was standing still.
DESIGN OF SKYSCRAPERS

 The design and construction of skyscrapers involves creating safe,

habitable spaces in very tall buildings. The buildings must support
their weight, resist wind and earthquakes, and protect occupants
from fire. Yet they must also be conveniently accessible, even on
the upper floors, and provide utilities and a comfortable climate for
the occupants. The problems posed in skyscraper design are
considered among the most complex encountered given the
balances required between economics, engineering, and
construction management.
EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
 STEEL
STRUCTURAL
SYSTEMS
AND
THE
NOS
OF
STOREYST
TYPE OF CORE SYSTEMS
EXAMPLES OF STEEL STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
DYNAMIC STRUCTURES
DYNAMIC BUILDINGS

WHAT IS A DYNAMIC BUILDING?

Dynamic building is the building that rotates in itself producing its own
electricity. Each floor of the building rotates separately in a certain
interval of time. The electricity generated in it is due to the wind turbine
fitted between each rotating floor. Similarly, each floor rotates to
create a building that constantly changes shapes, resulting unique
structures.
In fact, these buildings are part of nature, inserted in the environment.

The concept “dynamic architecture” is designed by the Italian architect

David Fisher. The main idea behind this concept is: the building of the
future. Mr. Fisher translated this idea into the design of the Rotating
Tower: a tower with separate rotating floors.
DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS

 First architectural model was focused on the symmetry

since this would facilitate structural efficiency. A concrete
core that includes the stairs, elevators, restrooms, as well as
the service pipes would be accommodated in the center of the
most symmetrical and architecturally efficient manner.

 Each and every floor has included with the elevators and
which also do connect with the rest of the floors in the same
manner that the building has been architect.

 The rotation of building divides as per the portion in about

not more than 6 ft. The complete rotation of the building does
take 180 minutes.
METHODOLOGY OF DYNAMIC STRUCTURES

FIRST METHODOLOGY

 The first methodology of dynamic building is

related to the shape of the building, which
changes continuously. Each floor can rotate
separately, changing every second the shape of
the building. You can therefore with the sun
rising into your bedroom and enjoy the sunset
over the ocean at dinner time. The Rotating
building takes on shapes imposed by time,
never appearing the same in any two given
moments
 METHODOLOGY
SECOND METHODOLOGY:

• The second technical method is that the Dynamic

building brings is the method of construction.
• Construction is totally based on fabrication.
• The entire building aside from the concrete core is made
of prefabricated units which arrive to the construction
site completely finished, including flooring, water
piping, air conditioning and all finishes.
• These units, made of steel, aluminum, carbon finishing
and other high quality modern materials, are installed
offering luxury finishing, and very fast construction
time, usage of limited number of workers, thus reducing
site risks and enabling cost savings.
• The building, made of single separate floors, is
structurally sound and flexible at the same time, being of
very high seismic resistance.
METHODOLOGY

• Third methodology: The third method of

construction involves the combining technology
and luxury with environment. The building’s
wind turbines, positioned horizontally between
each floor and solar panels on its many roofs
will produce energy making the tower the first
self- powered building. Thus the Rotating
Tower, a unique architectural solution, becomes
also a “green power plant” producing green
energy for the city.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DYNAMIC BUILDING
 Advantages of Dynamic Building:

 Dynamic buildings have many advantages over traditional buildings.

• Construction would be much quicker, resulting in the time saving of around 30% in the similar sized traditional towers
• Workers needed less in numbers in the site work, because all the workers are utilized in the factory work
• Bigger, most stunning and luxury than the traditional buildings. Independently rotating floor, giving residents the ability to
choose a new view at the touch of button
• Each modular apartment can be easily customized to the buyer’s desires, and every small component can be finished and
quality assessed
• Elimination of rewinding
• No wrapping fibers
• Optically good mass evenness
• Low end breakage rates
• Smooth yarn appearance
 Disadvantages of Dynamic Building:

• Low yarn strength
• High tendency to twist
• Difficult in keeping the spinningconditions constant
• High air consumption
• Increasing imperfection in increasing the spinning speed
DYNAMIC SKYSCRAPER, DUBAI- CASE STUDY
•Further names: Da Vinci Tower, Rotating Tower, Dynamic Architecture Building
•Location: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
•Height: 420 meters, with 80 levels
•Use: hotel, apartments, villas, offices

Dynamic Tower
General information
Status Proposed
Type Hotel
Residential
[1]
Office
Location United Arab Emirates
[1]
Cost AED1.2 billion, $330 million
Height
[2]
Architectural 420 metres (1,378 ft)
Technical details
[2]
Floor count 80
Design and construction
[1][3]
Architect David Fisher
[
Developer Dynamic Architecture
DYNAMIC SKYSCRAPER, DUBAI

Introduction
 Dr. David Fisher’s innovation , the first building in
motion that will change its shape and add a fourth
dimension to architecture that is time.
 Concept : Designed by life ! shaped by time ."
 The Idea of Dynamic Architecture was born with the
desire to have buildings that adjust themselves to life,
that are part of nature.
 In fact, our buildings, in which each floor rotates
separately, change their shape continuously and never
look the same.
 I call them “Buildings designed by time, shaped by life”.
Imagine a skyscraper that can revolve according to
tenants’ needs and whims, allowing them to decide their
own light exposition and view.
CONSTRUCTION PHASES

As the part of construction the building is constructed in two main phases and one is partly the four
phases are as follows:

1) Construction of central core.

2) Prefabrication of floors.
3) Assembling of units on site.
4) Finishing.
 THE RIGID STRUCTURE – CORE – PHASE I
• The first phase of construction
will take about six months using
slip forms that allow the
erection of a floor every two
days..
• This structural solution of
massive single concrete core
increase the building's seismic
resistance compared to
additional skyscraper.
• In This central core all elevator
and staircase are built by
traditional concrete reinforced
method.
• Two months after the start of
work, the first residential
unitsare complete with all their
plumbing, electric, and air-
conditioning system
 PREFABRICATION – THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION – PHASE II

• Dr. David Fisher’s revolutionary Dynamic Tower, the first building in

motion which is the first skyscraper to be entirely assembled in a
factory from prefabricated parts.

• The prefabricated units arrive at the building site ready for

quick and efficient installation, this approach known as the
Fisher Method

• Each floor of the building can be completed in only seven days

and units can also be customized according to the owners’ needs
and styles.

• Each individual unit will be completely finished at the new Rotating

Tower factory in Italy and exported worldwide, it will be equipped
with all necessary plumbing and electric systems including all
finishing from flooring to ceilings, bathrooms, kitchens, cabinets,
lighting and furniture.
 INSTALLATION OF FABRICATED UNITS – PHASE III

• The preassembled units are hocked to the core with a sequence of

one floor a week, allowing 60 stories building to be built in a record
time, saving about 30% over a construction time of a similar
skyscraper. These pre-assembled units that make a complete finished
floor which is made of a combination of steel, aluminum and fiber
carbon.

• The After the reinforced concrete core has been completed and
building services have been installed inside the core, factory
manufactured prefabricated units will be transported to the
construction site completely finished and will be hung from the
central core.
STRUCTURAL DESIGN

The structure of the Rotating Tower consists of a few main parts:

a central core,
a steel structure
a foundation.

This is the structure as mentioned in the architectural design.

FOUNDATION

 The foundation is a combination of a concrete slab and

piles.
 The concrete slab is 6 meters thick and the piles are
driven cast-in-place concrete piles of 1500 mm diameter.
 The most important and difficult challenge in the design
of the foundation was to spread the forces from the
central core to the foundation.
 This is done by thickening the concrete slab to 6 meter
(this thickness is necessary to create a slab with enough
stiffness and make sure the forces from the core spread
to enough piles) and attaching concrete shear walls to
the core inside the parking garage.
 The shear walls create a wider base to spread the
moments to more piles. The length of the pile will be
calculated using the pile forces from chapter 7.
STRUCTURAL DESIGN ON THE FLOORS

The structural (pre-) design of the storeys is already. Two systems have been developed:

A. Box structure
B. Truss structure
 BOX STRUCTURE TRUSS STRUCTURE

1. A box structure carries the total

1. The second structure which is
floor weight.
designed is the truss structure.
2. This structural type is used for the
2. Trusses throughout the entire floor
top 10 storeys (the villas), because it
carry the loads.
is not preferable to have structural
3. This type of structure is used on
elements within the area of the villas
floors 0-70, since these floors do
3. . All structural components are
not require an open floor plan.
situated at the edges and bottom of
4. Because of a more efficient use of
the floors.
structure the storey height can be
4. The downside of this type of
reduced (4.9 meter and 700 mm
structure is the storey height (5,15
space between the floors).
meter and 700 mm space between
5. The weight of the structural steel
floors). The weight of the structural
(figure 5-4) is 4500 kN.
steel (figure 5-2) is 5200 kN.
BOX STRUCTURE
TRUSS STRUCTURE
 ROTATION OF THE BUILDING
• The rotation of the floors is done with steel
bearings and combination of air-cushion, allowing
the floors to rotate smoothly and with no
vibrations.
• There is limited power of about 4 KW required to
rotate a floor. The drive system is situated in the
base of each floor so it can not be seen and in the
same time it allows easy maintenance when
required.
• The structure is based on a reinforced concrete
core of about 22mt diameter that carries all the
vertical loads. The floors will be all made of steel
structure, becoming a monolithic platform, with a
cantilever up to about 15 meters.
• The floors will be connected to the core in a way
that will allow a continuous rotation to either
direction, with no vibrations or noise.
 THE DRIVING SYSTEM

• The most important component in the concept of the

Rotating Tower is of course the movement of the separate
floors.
• Therefore a new system had to be developed to rotate the
floors. Figure 5-5 and 5-6 show the main principle of this
system.
• A rail is connected to the floors (the upper green part) and
this rail rests on wheels which are connected to the core.
• To move the floors horizontal rotating wheels are connected
to the core (black wheels in the figure).
• The wheels role against the floors and move the entire floor.
• The full weight of the floors (approximately 600 to1000 tons
per floor) rests on the wheels.
• Each wheel is designed to carry 50 ton (500kN) and will
therefore introduce large local forces to the core.
APARTMENT
FLOOR
PLANS
APARTMENT
FLOOR PLANS
VILLA
FLOOR
PLANS
CONSTRUCTION
METHODOLGY
 SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUILDING
• The Dynamic Tower, the world’s first building in motion, takes the concept
of green buildings to the next level where it will generate electricity for itself
as well as other nearby buildings, making it the first skyscraper designed to
be self powered.
• The building generates electricity from wind turbines mounted
horizontally between each floor.
• Eighty story building will have up to seventy nine wind turbines, making it a
true green power plant while traditional vertical wind turbines have some
environmental negative impact, including obstruction of views and the need
for roads to build and maintain them.
• The Dynamic Tower’s wind turbines are practically invisible and extremely
quiet due to their special shape and the carbon fiber material they are
made of.
• Another environmentally green element of the Dynamic Tower is the
photovoltaic cells that will be placed on the roof of each rotating floor to
produce solar energy, approximately 20% of each roof will be exposed to
the sun, so a building that has 80 roofs will equal the roofing space of 10
similar size buildings.
• In addition, natural and recyclable materials including stone, marble, glass
and wood will be used for the interior finishing.
Wind Turbines

Wind Turbines
SERVICE SYSTEMS IN DYNAMIC SKYSCRAPER
1. WATER SUPPLY AND SEWAGE IN THE BUILDING

 The largely hollow core will function as the axle around which the
floors turn. It will also be the conduit for elevators, electrical wiring and
plumbing.
 To enable water to flow through a constantly shifting structure, Mr.
Fisher says he has patented a system, based on technology used to
refuel airplanes in mid-flight, that will serve each floor through a single
"smart connection" for clean water and another for waste.
 And inside the individual apartments to provide bathroom services that
includes extending pipes from the building’s toilets (which are rotating
too along the floor)to the sewage system Fisher says they have
overcome the problem, using some of the technology that has been
developed for the ‘toilet issue’ on long-haul flights.
1. WATER SUPPLY AND SEWAGE IN THE BUILDING

 The main pipes for inlet and outlet are located in the core
which is stationary. For water supply each apartment has a
separate water tank for water storage. When this tank gets
empty, it is refilled by the main water supply line.
 For this he has used a system based on technology used
for refueling of aircraft mid air. There are smart sensors
installed all over the building to indicate when the tanks are
empty and need to be refilled.
 For providing sanitation in toilets, use of vacuum system
present in flights. For taking out sewage to the main sewage
pipes in the core, there are sensors which manage which
manage the flow of sewage at appropriate time since the floor
is continuously rotating ( speed is between 60 minutes and
24 hours for one revolution ).
 This techniques which had been modified and patented by
David Fisher had to be used because of the concept of
rotational tower.
1. WATER SUPPLY AND SEWAGE IN THE BUILDING

 System for water supply used in normal highrise building-

 Pumping from ground level or basement gravity tank to
gravity roof tank
 Pumping from gravity storage tank or public water main
into hydraulic pneumatic pressure tank that uses captive air
pressure
 Generally lower two three storeys can be supplied
directly from the pressure in public water main
 Upper storeys, usually in groups of five to eight storeys,
can be supplied from a pressure boosted main risers through a
pressure reduction valve for each group.

 The same system is adopted in dynamic tower the only

difference being that since the floors are rotating so to each
floor the water supply is directed with the help of sensors.
And also for this there is separate system for each floor.
2. DRAINAGE SYSTEM

 In drainage system for a high rise building, the

drains from the plumbing fixtures are connected to
vertical drain stacks that convey the waste and sewage
to below the lowest floor of the building also the
drainage stacks require relief vent connections at
specified intervals from the top, and connected to a vent
stack that terminates above the roof.

 From separate toilets on different floors the sewage

goes through sewage pipes to the main pipes.

 Whereas in dynamic tower vacuum system is used.

The sewage gets stored and then at proper intervals it is
passed into the main soil pipes which are installed like
any other drainage system in a high rise building.