Segmented Tower Building Design for Natural Lighting and Ventilation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Skyscrapers face challenges with inadequate natural lighting, difficulty in thermal conditioning, and ventilation due to their structural design, particularly in areas adjacent to the steel core and large surface extensions.
Innovation Solution
A building design featuring a central tower connected to multiple peripheral towers via bracing channels, forming a trestle-like structure that allows for greater height and improved lighting, thermal conditioning, and ventilation by eliminating the need for a heavy central steel core and simplifying the distribution of services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a central steel core is used to provide structural resistance, then the building can achieve greater height, but natural lighting is strongly inhibited in areas adjacent to the core and internal spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The building is divided into multiple independent towers (central tower and peripheral towers) connected by bracing channels. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single heavy central steel core, as each tower acts as an independent structural unit. The separation of towers creates open spaces between them that allow natural light to penetrate deeper into the building's interior, resolving the contradiction between structural strength and natural lighting.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a central steel core is used to support the building, then structural stability is improved, but the available internal space is reduced due to the core occupying volume
Solution Approach 1:
The structural system is segmented into multiple slender towers distributed around the building's perimeter and center, connected by bracing channels. This distributes the structural function across multiple elements rather than concentrating it in a single central core. The result is that structural stability is maintained through the collective action of multiple towers and their connections, while the internal volume is maximized as no large central core occupies the building's interior space.
3Area of stationary object
If floors have large surface extensions to maximize usable space, then more habitable area is provided, but ventilation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The building is segmented into multiple towers with floors that are distributed across these separate structures rather than forming a single large continuous plane. This segmentation naturally creates smaller, more manageable floor zones in each tower that are easier to ventilate. The bracing channels connecting the towers further facilitate air circulation between the different tower sections, enabling effective ventilation across the entire building while maintaining large total floor area.
4Temperature
If thermal conditioning plants and wiring are installed inside the building, then thermal conditioning is achieved, but available space is further reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bracing channels that structurally connect the towers serve as intermediary spaces for housing thermal conditioning plants and wiring. These channels, which are necessary for the structural integrity and stability of the building, are utilized as multi-functional elements that also accommodate mechanical and electrical infrastructure. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated spaces for equipment, as the structural connections themselves become the conduits for services.
Data Source
AI summary
A building is provided, which includes a plurality of towers including a central tower and a plurality of peripheral towers, a plurality of connections and at least one intermediate body including a surface extension sufficient to contain at least one or more floors of the central tower and the floors of the peripheral towers at the same height.