Gravity-induced lateral movements of tall buildings

Tall buildings move during construction owing to the time-dependent properties of concrete such as creep and shrinkage, construction sequences and structural shapes. The building movements include vertical and horizontal displacements that are the sum of the axial and lateral deformations of the vertical members of each level. In addition to the vertical shortenings, the lateral movement induced by differential shortening can have adverse effects on the construction tolerances and serviceability of non-structural elements such as elevators and curtain walls. A method of construction stage analysis was developed to predict the deviation from vertical induced by shortening, including the time-dependent effects of concrete. The algorithm of the construction stage analysis was combined with a finite-element analysis program. The developed method was used to predict the lateral movement of a 58-storey reinforced-concrete building that was constructed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A field survey using three-dimensional laser scanner was performed to verify the prediction results and showed satisfactory agreement.