Discover wind-resistant architectural designs in Chicago, including the bundled tube system used in Willis Tower
Discover wind-resistant architectural designs in Chicago, including the bundled tube system used in Willis Tower
Learn about wind-resistant architectural designs in Chicago, notably the bundled tube system used in Willis Tower.
© Chicago Architecture Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
NARRATOR: One of the reasons why Chicago is nicknamed The Windy City is the strong wind that blows off the shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago's weather makes designing for a wind a common challenge for architects and engineers. Winds act as a horizontal force, pushing the building from the side. If buildings aren't constructed to withstand high winds, they will collapse.
Engineers have been designing wind-resistant systems for years in order to build higher and maintain structural integrity. The earliest method for building tall was to create a thick, strong base that could support the weight of the building and resist higher winds. This method remained unchanged for thousands of years until the idea of the skeletal frame, an internal steel frame, was proposed.
Skeletal frame systems are made up of columns and beams that distribute the weight of the building horizontally and vertically. The skeletal frame was made more efficient when bracing was added to resist even more force, allowing architects to build up to 40 stories. Then came the braced tube. Designed by structural engineer Fazlur Khan at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the braced tube moved the skeleton of the building to the perimeter, freeing buildings from the rectangular shape that had characterized the skeletal frame building until then.
Braced tube structures could reach heights of up to 100 floors. But the structure around the perimeter of the building blocked views. The bundled tube system Kahn designed for the 110-story Willis Tower relied on a cluster of tubes connected together to act as a single unit. The tower is made up of a three-by-three grid of nine tubes rising to four different heights and connected three sections along the way up. The nine tubes support one another, strengthening the structure as a whole. And the variation in tube heights disrupt the force of the wind.
Khan's innovative bundled tube system paved the way for skyscrapers around the world and helped the Willis Tower maintain the title of world's tallest building for 25 years.
Engineers have been designing wind-resistant systems for years in order to build higher and maintain structural integrity. The earliest method for building tall was to create a thick, strong base that could support the weight of the building and resist higher winds. This method remained unchanged for thousands of years until the idea of the skeletal frame, an internal steel frame, was proposed.
Skeletal frame systems are made up of columns and beams that distribute the weight of the building horizontally and vertically. The skeletal frame was made more efficient when bracing was added to resist even more force, allowing architects to build up to 40 stories. Then came the braced tube. Designed by structural engineer Fazlur Khan at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the braced tube moved the skeleton of the building to the perimeter, freeing buildings from the rectangular shape that had characterized the skeletal frame building until then.
Braced tube structures could reach heights of up to 100 floors. But the structure around the perimeter of the building blocked views. The bundled tube system Kahn designed for the 110-story Willis Tower relied on a cluster of tubes connected together to act as a single unit. The tower is made up of a three-by-three grid of nine tubes rising to four different heights and connected three sections along the way up. The nine tubes support one another, strengthening the structure as a whole. And the variation in tube heights disrupt the force of the wind.
Khan's innovative bundled tube system paved the way for skyscrapers around the world and helped the Willis Tower maintain the title of world's tallest building for 25 years.