1. Steel Study Case Study of Steel
The Advantage of Steel The Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower
The best structural system for multi-story residentials, The form, volume and hyperboloid
high-rise office buildings and parking garages is steel and steel structure are generated by two ellipses, one
joists are often the best value on the basis of cost per square at foundation level and the other at an
foot, scheduling, useable space, and design flexibility. imaginary horizontal plane just above 450
All of the advantages really depend on the structure metres. The tightening caused by the
being built, but overall steel tends to be less expensive than rotation between the two ellipses forms the
concrete, tends to be a very flexible material, not be as characterizing "waistline" of the tower, and a
damaged by the elements or fire, where as wood rots when densification of material. This means that
exposed to moisture and humidity and concrete degrades the lattice structure, which at the bottom of
when exposed to salt molecules. the tower is porous and spacious, becomes
Steel offers the benefit that unused material can be denser at waist level. The waist itself is
resold back to steel fabricators for recycling and concrete is tightened, like a twisted rope; further up the
considered an earth friendly material, but any extra concrete tower the lattice opens again, accentuated
cannot be resold for recycling and, unfortunately, just gets here by the tapering of the structural
thrown away. column-tubes.
Model
North Elevation Interior Rendering
West Elevation
Roof Plan
N
South Elevation