Swaying Skyscrapers: Unveiling the Dance Between Wind and Tall Buildings Through the Ages

As part of the Fazlur R. Khan Distingushed Lecture series for 2024, Ahsan Kareem will give a presentation on "Swaying Skyscrapers: Unveiling the Dance Between Wind and Tall Buildings Through the Ages." 

The lecture will be live-streamed; registration is required. 

Overview:

The seminar will focus on addressing the three elements of tall buildings' life cycle from design, and construction to performance evaluation. It summarizes the history of wind effects on tall buildings from the design of the World Trade Center Towers to the present-day skyscrapers and beyond. From earlier studies at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK involving the World Trade Center Towers, it was realized that it was essential to model the inflow that was reflective of the atmospheric boundary layer rather than a uniform flow in an aeronautical tunnel. At that juncture, the dynamic response was evaluated using base-pivoted aeroelastic models while a search for a more expeditious means of assessing wind loads was in progress, which led to the development of various force balances. In this context, a general overview of the basic techniques for the quantification of wind loads and their dynamic effects using analytical, experimental, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and model-based and data-driven simulation schemes, database-enabled platforms, code and standards-based procedures and lessons from full-scale monitoring will be presented in a historical perspective. The issue of human sensitivity to motion will be described from its early day experiments by Fazlur Rahman Khan to current motion simulators. This will be followed by a synopsis of the emerging frontiers in CFD from isolated buildings to cityscapes, mesoscale to micro-scale, shape and topological optimization, the vulnerability of glass cladding in extreme winds, the role of organic damping and damping devices for the mitigation of building motion.

More information can be found here.

1 PDH credit will be awarded to eligible attendees, based on individual state requirements and completion of the 1-hour virtual lecture. This virtual lecture awarding the PDH requires you to attend the complete lecture and be logged on the webinar for a minimum of 55 minutes. Please note that this PDH is being issued by SEI Lehigh Valley and may or may not be eligible in other states for licensing requirements.