Proceedings of the International Association for
Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) Symposium 2013
„BEYOND THE LIMITS OF MAN”
23-27 September, Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland
J.B. Obrębski and R. Tarczewski (eds.)
High rise buildings – Construction stage design
G.C. Giuliani1, M.E. Giuliani2 , P. de Angelis3
1
dr.eng – exclusive consultant Redesco Progetti srl – Milano – gc.giuliani@redesco.it
2
dr.eng – general manager Redesco Progetti srl – Milano – me.giuliani@redesco.it
3
dr.eng – partner Redesco Progetti srl – Milano – p.deangelis@redesco.it
Summary: In general, once the design tender issue for complex building has been completed, the contractors are pressed by the aims of the
developers for getting the job finished as soon as possible.
The structural design, drawings, specifications and verifications have to be adapted to the fast construction procedure. This scenario creates the need
for a construction design stage in order to prepare for the general contractor a project suitable for the fast construction.
Keywords: high-rise buildings ,erection methods, construction design stage, post-tensioned slabs, shrinkage and creep structural effects
FOREWORD
In general the construction design stage is as delicate as the general one,
engineers indeed are called to adjust the contractor plans (construction
methods, availability of equipment, time of erection, respect of time
schedule) to the initial design concepts and choices that very seldom
took into account the needs of the construction.
In this article some paradigmatic examples occurred during the
construction of the Porta Nuova Varesine plot in Milano are illustrated.
The constructions are located on a former recreational area in the urban
area of the city of Milan (Italy), the site features a rectangular shape (in
plan) with 300m by 100m edges.
A deep excavation was made to accommodate a four levels basement
(parking and service areas), some buildings and a cultural centre
elevated over street level (fig. 1).
The buildings basic data are reported in the following table.
Diamante Tower
Solaria Tower
Height:
140 m (30 floors)
Columns / Core:
Floors:
Foundation:
Steel / Concrete *
Concrete
on
corrugated steel
sheet
Intended use:
Direct foundation
offices
3 pods – 35 floors(142,
112, 82 m)
Concrete / Concrete
Post tensioned concrete
slabs
Direct Foundation (soil
stiffness improvement
by diaphragms)
residential
Architecture
KPF
Basic structure
Client:
General Contractor:
Construction
Structural Design:
Construction years:
Ove Arup
Varesine (Hines)
CO.VAR.
Redesco Progetti
srl (Milano)
2009-2012
Arquitectonica
/
Caputo Partnership
Ove Arup
Varesine Srl (Hines)
CO.VAR.
Redesco
Progetti
srl+FV (Milano)
2010-2013
Fig. 1 – rendering of the plot
This wide real estate operation imposed to the General Contractor a
great effort for shortening the construction time.
Among the several constructions three high rise residential buildings and
an office one define the skyline of the plot
In detail, some problems concerning the construction methods strongly
interfered with the original, basic structural project.
The aim of the paper is to show how these problems, if not properly
taken into account during the basic design process, can affect the project
even in its key concepts [1].
In this article we focus on the two highest buildings of the plot (fig. 2):
the Diamante (140 m / 30 floors) and the Solaria (142 m / 35 floors)
Fig. 2 –
the Diamante
and the
Solaria
towers
Very efficient production systems were adopted for the erection of the
structure; as a consequence the selection of the formwork system, had an
extremely important role in the construction process.
Formworks
The development of the construction structural design was therefore
carried on taking into account all the requirements depending from the
formwork climbing system for the casting of the core walls and slabs.
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