Linear analysis of tall buildings using spline elements

Abstract A spline element which can be widely used in the analysis of tall building structures is proposed. In the interpolation scheme of the element, the orders of spline functions in both horizontal and vertical directions are properly chosen so that the computational work may be effectively reduced. In comparison with the conventional finite strip method, the spline element presented in this paper can analyse tall buildings with irregular openings as well as arbitrary configurations. The numerical examples show that the spline element can analyse tall buildings with irregular openings as well as with arbitrary configurations. The numerical examples show that the spline element possess very good static and dynamic behaviour, and that satisfactory results can be obtained with only a few elements.