STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF TORRE PWC (MADRID)

LOCALITATION
FRANCE

HORIZONTAL LOADS

PORTUGAL

The city of Madrid is

located in the center
of Spain, coordinates:

12.5 25

50

km
0

100

200

400

km
125

250

7.5 15

On skyscrapers and other

buildings of great height, wind
loads produce higher stresses in
the structure. For the design of
the Torre PwC study wind tunnel
was performed to determine
these efforts, as well as a
comparison between a square
structure and a circular, which is
more aerodynamic. Because the
results engineers chose the
curved plan.

Madrid

30

mi

VERTICAL LOADS
There are two main vertical loads applied to the building:

Length against the wind

R = 22.5 m (73 ft 8 in)

L = 141.36 m (463 ft 9 in)

- The effects of the belt in the redistribution of stresses.

Length against the wind

A = 22.5 m (73 ft 8 in)

L = 160 m (524ft 11 in)

mi

Wind Blowing

Wind Blowing

M-40

La Paz Hospital

Madrid-Barajas Airport

The PwC tower

is located in the
north of Madrid.
In an area known
as Cuatro Torres
(Four
Towers)
Business
Area
(CTBA).

As the name says

within the area there
are three towers
more, whose names
are: Torre de Cristal
(Tower of Glass),
Torre Cepsa and
Torre Espacio

M-50

R-2
M-40
M-12

M-40
M-30
A-6

M-14
M-50

M-40

M-40

R-3

M-40

M-50

- The total mass of the structure, 110,136 t, including overloads.

The principal element that contributes in the vertical

resistence of the skyscraper is the internal core. This
is built entire of concrete. Inside of this, there are three
secondarys cores, smaller than the principal, for the
main elevators. Also there are three holes for the
stairs.
For a building of this features, the engineers and
architects designed an special entrance for the
firemans in case of fire, like the actual spanish
normative requires.

Metro

PwC Tower

Wind

R-3
R-5

M-31

La Castellana Avenue

M-50

M-50

10

20

km
0

16

250

500

m
225

450

Square Plan

Circular Plan

(Predominant direction of wind tunnel test / Results of wind tunnel tests for square and circle plans respectively)

yd

mi

Panoramic of the towers,

from left to right: Torre
Espacio,
Torre
de
Cristal, Torre PwC (in
garnet) and Torre Bankia

Maximum stresses due to wind:

- Mx = 4,31,106 kNm
- My = 2,99,106 kNm
- Mz = 4,47,104 kNm

Wind

To reduce the effects of wind

loads belt stiffener or belt was
installed on the top floors of the
building.
Belt resistance adds to the
resistance of the core, and
improves the performance of the
structure
under
stress
horinzontales.

Horizontal Stresses
Global Answer =

Core

Stresses Transfer

Belt
Brackets

Connecting
supports

Main pillar

Characteristics of the belt:

- Located in levels 54 and 55.
- Three supports are connected only.
- Reinforced conctrete screens,
HA-30 (30 MPa), e = 0.80 m (2.63 ft)
- Reinforced concrete slabs HA-30,
e = 0.34 m (1.12 ft)

Connecting
supports
Upper and lower slabs

One way to improve the

resistence for vertical loads in
the lower parts of the building is
adding some elements that help
in the distribution of stress. In
this skyscraper, the engineers
decided build some brackets in
shape of V invert.

Slab

(Drawing of the core)

LOADS

(PwC building)

DEFORMED

SHEAR

BENDING MOMENT

LOADS

AXIAL LOADS (SELF WEIGHT)

(Section of the building)

CONSTRUCCION PROCESS

The construction process of the building is cyclic. After building the foundation slab and
the central core, the slabs are built in steps, with prefabricated materials both in situ.

FOUNDATION
The foundation of the building is formed by a prestressed concrete continuous slab 4m (13
ft 1 in) expesor, on which the core and the columns rise. The maximun tension is 0.75 MPa

column
reinforced

(Building roof)

superior reinforced
cordons of 0.6 in

(Building entry scheme [5])

Core
Metal supports
Mean beams
Joist
Edge beam
Folder sheet
Slab concrete
Conc of the supports

The PwC skyscraper has two principal uses:

-Hotel
-Office
Also has:
-56 floors for hotel+office
-6 floor for the subterrain parking

L
concrete cleaning

2004-2008

Dimension

236 m (774 ft 3 in)

compacted soil

chocks > 5 cm
(2.5 in)

(from left to right,

foundation, column
and core)

(Foundation scheme)

SLABS

Advancing direction
of construction

Date of construction

concrete joint

inferior reinforced
cordons of 0.6 in

The roof has a shape of equilatateral triangle due to the core behind the roof and the
sections joined to it has the same shape. This is because with this shape, the loads are
better distributed to the foundation than other distribution (circle, square).

FEATURES

column

4 m (13ft 1in)

The slabs of the building are formed by a repetitive modular geometry (composite structure)
with moderate vains (7m / 22ft 11 in). The simplicity of the installation is the main feature.

Reinforced concrete

Connectors

Reinforced
concrete

Metal profile

Carlos Rubio Carvajal

Architects

Main beans

Enrique Alvarez-Sala

Folded sheet metal

Structural engineers

Fireproof gunite
Main beam

(Construction of core)

MC-2 Study
Construction company

Sacyr S.A.U

Propierty

Testa inmuebles en renta S.A

Promotor

Testa inmuebles en renta S.A

Materials

Concrete and steel

(Progress of works)

Joist

Front support points

(Slab scheme)

REFERENCES

CONSTRUCCION MATERIALS

249, julio-septiembre 2008

[3] Ducret, J.-M. and Lebet, J.-P., Behaviour of Composite Bridges during Construction, Structural Engineering
International, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 212-218, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, Zurich, 1998.

Interesting facts

2002.

Total cost

(62.600.000 $)

EDIFICATION & PREFABRICATION (E

E.T.S.I.C.C.P. CIUDAD REAL

P
Students:
Pablo Prieto Medina

DATE: 11/10/2014