Question

Provide a recommendation for the gravity system, lateral system, and foundation system for each of the scenarios below. Justify your answer.
Choose from the following:
Gravity system - steel framing, precast concrete, concrete pan joists, or concrete flat plate
Lateral system - moment frame, brace frame, or shear wall
Foundation system - spread and strip footings, mat slab, piles, or drilled piers

13) You are designing a new apartment building in downtown Washington, DC. Zoning requirements limit the height of the building to 62 feet, and the owner would like the building to be 6 stories, meaning the floor-to-floor height will be relatively tight. The owner would also like to have a variety of different apartment layouts in the building, meaning the column layout will be irregular. There will be two elevator and stair cores for vertical circulation through the building located at the north-east and south-west corners of the building floor plan. The geotechnical report indicates a soil bearing capacity of 4 k/ft2. (9 pts)

Answer 1

For designing a new apartment building of height 62 feet such that 6 story building-

• We use concrete flat plate as gravity system because flat plate system requires simple formwork and reduced depth of slabs helps to increase the floor to floor height of the building.
• We use shear wall as lateral system because it is easy for construction and implementation and efficient in terms of construction cost and effectiveness in minimizing soil failure.
• We use mat slab foundation as foundation system because it distribute loads over a larger area and it requires less earth excavation and it is used where soil condition is poor and it reduces the cost of constructing floor slab.