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THE BUTTRESSED CORE STRUCTURAL

SYSTEM

Presented by
Guided by
Anju Prakash
Nusra miss
Roll no 7
Assistant Professor
CE SE 1
Department of Civil Engineering
YCET
YCET
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INTRODUCTION

Height of tallest building exceeded by 22% in 32

years from that of WTC and Taipei 101

Massive jump in height possible of buttressed core

structural system

Design employs conventional materials and

construction techniques
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BUTTRESSED CORE
STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
The 3 wings allow for greater height by buttressing
one another by a central core-buttressed system
Buttressed core is a six sided central piece-hexagonal
hub
Limits loss of space for structural elements
Hub surrounded by 3 wings
Wings afford torsional resistance and twisting of
tower with increased moment of inertia
Hub encloses the elevators
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STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
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As building rises, each wing setsback in clockwise

pattern
Tapering minimises wind effects and organisation of
wind vortices
Give and take between core and wing makes system
more stable
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CONSTRUCTION OF CORE
Actually made of not pure cement or concrete
Fly ash is the key component-cost effective, energy
saving, conservation of resources
Tri-axial design consists of three tiers that are
staggered throughout construction of each floor as the
building rises
3-tier design allows the wind to not hit one side
directly or head on, diverting the wind from the
hitting the building straight on at any point
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HEXAGONAL HUB
Most crucial aspect
Six sided centre piece
Acts as an axle that encloses the elevators
Acts like a tube surrounding the building and makes
torsionally stiff
Thickened hammerhead walls located at the end of
the corridors running down through the wings
prevent the building from twisting about its vertical
axis because of moments of inertia
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WING
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EVOLUTION OF BUTTRESSED
CORE SYSTEM
Completed in 2004, Tower Palace III, located in
Seoul, South Korea, promoted a new standard in
high-rise residential development.
Its tripartite arrangement provides 120 between
wings, affording maximum views and privacy
Originally designed at more than 90 stories, its height
supported by a Y-shaped floor plan
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FLOOR PLAN
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Throughout its design process, building exhibited

good structural behaviour and performed well in the
wind tunnel
However, because of zoning issues, towers tallest
wing was cut from 93 to 73 stories
When SOM undertook the project,they were faced
with the challenge of controlling the dynamic
response of the tower and managing its wind
engineering aspects ,formulated certain goals
Accomplished through buttressed system
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Despite the Tower Palace IIIs solid structural

behaviour, SOM architects and engineers encountered
issues with the buildings torsional resistance
Baker found a solution to problem
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BURJ KHALIFA
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Bakers goal was to design a building that reached

heights and resist forces of nature in a simple way
Throughout design process, SOM made critical
changes to Tower Palace leading to evolution of Burj
Khalifas buttressed core
Its central core houses all vertical transportation
systems
Each of the wings is on a 9m module
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According to parametric studies made in 2003,central

core have enough strength and stiffness
Primary walls lined corridors in each wing
Engineers tuned building as a musical instrument to
avoid aerodynamic harmonics
Managing gravity-a key component
By confusing the wind, design disorganised vortex
shedding
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DISORGANISED VORTEX
SHEDDING
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Gravity load resistant system is utilised which resist

wind loads
On the top there is a 230m tall spire and complete
structure founded on a 3700 mm thick reinforced
concrete pile raft foundation
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HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE

Fly ash 12%
Silica fume 9%
w/c 0.30
Slump flow 550 mm
BS 30 min absorption 0.8%
DIN water penetration 1.5 mm
Coulomb value 250
28 day breaks 100MPa Cube
E Modulus 48 Gpa
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FOUNDATION
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LAS VEGAS TOWER

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Next step in evolution of buttressed core

It has a shape that changes in elevation
Wind vortices never gets organised
Structural system eliminates the need for outriggers
and perimeter columns
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FUTURE OF BUTTRESSED CORE

SYSTEM
SOM and Baker made history with innovation of
buttressed core system
The Kingdom Tower, to be located in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia, is expected to be over 1,000 meters tall (172
meters taller than the Burj Khalifa
Wings will not setback a Burj Khalifa, but tapers as
ascend towards sky
Because of unique shape, engineers are working with
wind consultants
Concave sides of tower eliminate wind effects
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CONCLUSION
Ever altered the design of skyscrapers
Environment-friendly and less energy consuming
incorporates the ideals of structural efficiency,
constructability, and architectural function and makes
it possible to produce buildings of great height.
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REFERNCES
[1] W. F. Baker. (2010). Higher and Higher: The Evolution of the Buttressed Core. Civil
Engineering. (Print Article). pp. 58-65.
[2] World Buildings Directory. Buttressed Core Structural System for Burj Khalifa. (Online
Article). http://www.worldbuildingsdirectory.com/project.cfm?id=26 18
[3] Blum, Andrew. "Engineer Bill Baker Is the King of Superstable 150-Story Structures."
Wired Magazine 27 Nov. 2007: n. pag. Web.
[4] Abdelrazaq, Baker, Chung, Pawlikowski, Wang, and Yom. Integration of Design and
Construction of the Tallest Building in Korea, Tower Palace III, Seoul, Korea. 10 Oct. 2004.
South Korea, Seoul.
[5] Baker, William, James Pawlikowski, and Bradley Young. "Reaching toward The
Heavens."Civil Engineering Mar. 2010.
[6] Baker, William. "Engineering an Idea: The Realization of the Burj Khalifa." Civil
Engineering.
[7] "Burj Khalifa Facts." Skyscrapercenter. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habita, n.d.
Web. 07 Mar. 2013.
[8] Bollinger, Peter. The Buttressed Core. Digital image. Wired Magazine. N.p., 27 Nov. 2007
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