Simplified analysis of façade rigger braced high‐rise structures

A simplified method of analysis for the preliminary design of tall building structures with facade riggers subjected to lateral loading is presented. A facade rigger braced structure comprises a series of interior walls and facade riggers placed in the exterior frames of the building parallel to the horizontal load on the structure. The method of analysis requires only four stiffnesses representing a uniform structure up the height: the bending stiffness of the walls, an axial stiffness parameter representing the contribution of the columns in the end frames and bending as well as racking shear stiffnesses of the facade riggers. The analysis yields the optimum location of the facade rigger, the deflection at the top of the structure and the forces in the four structural components such as the bending moment reduction in the walls. It allows a rapid assessment of the influence of the facade rigger stiffnesses on the overall behaviour of the structure in graphical form. It is suggested that the bending and racking shear stiffnesses of the facade riggers not be ignored in the preliminary design. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.