Effect of Soil Structure Interaction on the Design of Tall Concrete Buildings

This paper presents the effect of soil-structure interaction on tall buildings' design and straining actions. This investigation was carried out by analyzing a multi-story building via a direct approach using a 3D finite element model for the soils and the structure. The results are compared with traditional sub-structuring methods that use linear subgrade reaction springs to represent the soil. The results are also compared with the less common sub-structuring approach that adopts nonlinear springs to represent the soil-structure interaction. Two parametric analyses are performed under gravity loads considering different soil characteristics. The effects of soil-structure interaction and the induced differential settlement are presented for various loading conditions and straining actions on the structure-supporting elements. The conclusions include the limitations and advantages of the common sub-structuring approach and the effects of soil non-linearity on the behavior and design of tall buildings.