5-story building with LRB Seismic Isolators

This was really a very complex project to accomplish. Here are the most significant parts of the structural design we had to overcome:

1. Seismic absorbers design. Several analysis had to be done: time history analysis, responce spectrum analysis etc, using many hand calculations to verify the absorbers behavior. Viscous damping finally achieved, was about 18%. Most difficult aspect of the design was to correctly model the LRBs with non linear springs.

2. Cantilevers 3.50m long with several limitations in available height and in connections design.

3. Elevator design. The top 5 stories above isolators have large horizontal discplacements. But the elevator is traveling through both top 5 stories and bottom 2 basements that are practically rigid. We had to find a way to avoid clashing between moving parts of the lift and the shaft's (moving) walls.

4. The two pools coming with the building architectural design: one at the second floor and one at the 5th level.

Some photos from the building are presented below.

3d structural model in Revit (a)

3d structural model in Revit (b)

 

Characteristic cross section of the building, showing isolators below ground floor level.

 

Myself in front of LRB isolators at 1st basement of the building.

 

Typical joint between cantilever built-up section to column flange