Control of wind-induced motion of tall buildings using smart façade systems

Abstract

The development of non-load bearing curtain walling technology around the turn of the 20th centre along with an effort to reduce the energy consumption of the building and dependence on artificial lightening, the development of high performance glass and efficient building system has seen architectural trends move toward maximising glass surface areas in order to optimise natural light. This presents an opportunity to also investigate the façade system potential to become a filter for wind-induced vibration. The façade has been rarely considered or designed as a potential windinduced vibration absorber for tall buildings. In this paper the potential of utilizing a moveable exterior façade in a double-skin façade system is investigated and shown that with optimal choices of materials for stiffness and damping of brackets connecting the two skins, a substantial portion of wind-induced vibration energy can be dissipated which leads to avoiding expensive lateral stiffening systems and/or space consuming large damper systems such as tuned mass or liquid dampers. The works have demonstrated that up to 50% of response caused by winds can be absorbed by a smart and efficient façade design, including purely passive systems with constant stiffness and damping or better, by a smart system possessing variable stiffness for different phases of façade movement