How do you safely build and maintain skyscrapers?

When they are riddled with asbestos and the cost benefit analysis is favourable you may find nanothermites and controlled demolition are the way forward, provided you follow all the national codes and have a good network of supporters.

Bracing is the key to structural design. In smaller buildings, bracing naturally plays a smaller role. Structural creativity is required for larger buildings. The following concepts are obvious: - Core stiffeners - Pipe stiffeners - Outrigger systems: These consist of a combination of core and outer supports As the height increases, the stiffening elements are increasingly arranged on the outside in order to activate the largest possible lever arms on the resistance side. The larger the dimensions, the more likely the reinforcements are to include trusses or frames that run over several floors.

Absolutely.while Designing a sky scrapper there are lots of consideration should be taken like how tall the building is?What's the end utility/usage of the building?what's the allowable footprint area? it generates a concept for placing the core area(fire exits,vertical circulation and Mep services risers,Type of slab,Type of foundation etc).Co-ordination of Mep services with Arch/structural elements are crucial for any sky scrapper structure's execution & later on it's commissioning.

Yes design and planning is essential, including the type of material to be used, and also the hight level at which the skyscraper will be spanning to, More also the consideration of the core in the skyscraper is a necessity

The planning and design of skyscraper for a structural engineer is a crucial phase where they play a pivotal role in shaping the project's structural framework and ensuring its feasibility. The structural engineer collaborates with architects, developers, and other consultants to understand the project's goals, vision, and specific requirements. The structural engineer should be familiar with local building codes, zoning regulations, and seismic/ wind design requirements. Compliance with this is critical and will influence the structural design. Evaluate material options based on factors like strength, durability, cost, and sustainability. Sustainable design principles may be considered in selecting materials and construction techniques.

The foundation and structure design for a skyscraper is a complex engineering process that involves careful consideration of factors such as building height, soil conditions, seismic activity, wind loads, and architectural aesthetics. Wind tunnel testing and advanced computational simulations (i.e. fluid dynamics) are used to determine wind loads and design appropriate structural systems. Use advanced structural analysis software to model and simulate the behavior of the skyscraper under various loads and environmental conditions. Consider sustainable design principles, such as incorporating energy-efficient building systems, renewable energy sources, and green construction materials to reduce the environmental impact of the skyscraper.

Systems establishment and integrations is the critical consideration in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of skyscraper. Coordinated electrical, spatial, mechanical, fire escape, ventilation, air conditioning, traffics, CCTV, and etc. Will help to ease and make skyscrapers safer, sustainable and cost effective. We always insist a coordinated efforts in the early stages of concept design to all multidisciplinary teams involved with the delivery process of skyscrapers.

While foundations and piling studies are critical, along with proper soil investigations and geotechnical analysis, their elaboration is often less time consuming than the super structure, aka everything above ground. Most of the resources, skills and efforts, would be dedicated to defining the optimal configuration and space planning, integrating all disciplines and operational considerations in a coordinated and iterative design process. Every built-up area has a higher cost as you rise, and the objective of the design team after developing the vision is to achieve the highest floor efficiency. The output of this is the final structure and architectural massing as base for modelling and wind tunnel analysis, to then determine foundations.

A structural engineer should have an eye to closely look at the construction (execution) methodology as per given standard industry practices. Some time a single valid decision(whether it's design/management) from a veteran structural engineer contribute to the project a lot which eases the construction process of a sky scrapper.

Construction Methodology and Erection Sequence is a key aspect to consider during the execution to the towers. Depending on the complexity of the design, structural elements might end up being governed by the requirement form one of the construction stages rather than final, wished in place design. Using modularization for repetitive assemblies leads to savings in time, improvements in safety and quality and reduced environmental impact.

Quality assurance and Quality control are indirectly the base governing most of the technical operations during the execution phase. Construction methods, inspection regimes and frequency, would have been defined at the design stage, translated into specifications. The engineers on site would focus on verifying that the Contractors do comply with these, first through the verification of the detailed methods and construction sequences, material selection and next by attending inspections and critical site activities. While the Contractors remain liable for the quality, engineers do assist in guaranteeing this as well as in providing valuable experience in their discipline, and knowledge of the design and its drivers.

It’s quite rare that a structural engineer needs to take any action beyond the execution and project handing over. On the other hand, MEP engineers are more likely to be involved during operations, as technical systems do evolve rapidly, and require constant monitoring to avoid any drop in efficiency. Concerning structure, monitoring is sometimes applied, thanks to an army of sensors integrated within or on top of structural members. These verify that actual loads and the building behaviour are in line with the assumptions concluded during design. All engineers produce detailed Operation and Maintenance Manuels for the teams who will operate the building after handing over. A complete BIM model can be added, including details on equipment.

Most of the supertall have not reached such old age and retroffitting or renovating them has been extremely rare. This field of study would be interesting to develop further, as we will probably not be able to directly implement common solutions. Findings from this could potentially be re-injected into the design of the next highrises to increase flexibility and reuse.