Design Inventions for Tall Buildings of the Future

Brazilian Association of Structural Engineers

31 October 2019

Mark Sarkisian, PE, SE, LEED

Partner
SOM
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Are our cities ordered only by the streets that manage flows of vehicular
and pedestrian movements where the areas in between are void and
absent of life?
Are our cities ordered only by the streets that manage flows of vehicular
and pedestrian movements where the areas in between are void and
absent of life?

Should our structures be restricted to regular load paths defined by

elements set up on disciplined grids ignoring the spaces between -
ignoring their contributions only because an order has been imposed
upon us?
Are our cities ordered only by the streets that manage flows of vehicular
and pedestrian movements where the areas in between are void and
absent of life?

Should our structures be restricted to regular load paths defined by

elements set up on disciplined grids ignoring the spaces between -
ignoring their contributions only because an order has been imposed
upon us?
Should our structures be designed as static objects or as objects that are
in continuous motion; should we continue to think of our structures
two-dimensionally instead of volumetrically?
The average temperature rise on the planet for
the 20th century was
1.5°F

The average temperature rise on the planet for

the 21st century will be an additional
2°F
SOM
 carbon emitted

day 1 20 yrs

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Construction / Operation
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SOM
“All-wood” Jesuit Churches
Dowels from the Alerce Tree

Island of Chiloe
Conventional Moment Frame Conventional Braced Frame
Pin-fuse JointTM
US Patent 6,631,538
US Patent 6,681,538
 Pin-Fuse Seismic Systems
US and International Patents 6,631,538 7,000,304 7,647,734 7,712,266
PIN-FUSE FRAME
PIN-FUSE SEISMIC SYSTEMS
PIN-FUSE SEISMIC SYSTEMS
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP
PIN-FUSE SEISMIC SYSTEMS
SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP
 Earthquake Design
(CBC – California Building Code)

Purpose. The purpose of the earthquake

provisions herein is primarily to
safeguard against major structural
failures and loss of life, not to limit
damage or maintain function.
 Goals

Increased resilience and reduced damage

Increased environmental responsibility (reduced

life-cycle material usage / carbon footprint)

Increased protection of investments

RETHINK SEISMIC DESIGN GOALS

OF STRUCTURES
 Ductile
Moment Frame

Ductile Links

Optimized
Frame Geometry
Sensory Fields
Self-Reflection
SOM
Morphogenetic Planning
 What if structures in the future could be designed for basic sustained
forces by using the material internally flowing in response to transient
loading, increasing in density in areas where necessary?

SOM
 What if structures in the future could be designed for basic sustained
forces by using the material internally flowing in response to transient
loading, increasing in density in areas where necessary?

What if this behavior was three-dimensional, considering the volume of

a structure rather that just its perimeter?

SOM
 What if structures in the future could be designed for basic sustained
forces by using the material internally flowing in response to transient
loading, increasing in density in areas where necessary?

What if this behavior was three-dimensional, considering the volume of

a structure rather that just its perimeter?

What if the behavior emerged through a central controlling force of

collective intelligence?

SOM
SOM
 A  
1  cos 2  

  
L  x  1  cos 2   1 1 
 
N  cos   sin 
2 2
  D2  sin 4    tan 2    sin 2  
 

where:
q – an angle of the columns in the story
 – drift of the top of the building due to deformation
of thestory
A – a constant describing the stiffness of the story
D2 – property of the locations of the columns in the
story
N – number of columns
L – moment arm (M/V)
x – distance of the storey being optimized to the top
Reological Systems
Design Inventions for Tall Buildings of the Future

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