Structural Damping in Tall Buildings: Evolution, Challenges, and a new Integrated Approach

Overview

The drive for greater efficiency and resilience in tall building design has led to the widespread adoption of damping systems since their first use in the 1970s to control wind and seismic response. Today, incorporating such systems is almost standard practice for tall and slender structures.

This talk will review the main types of damping systems, discussing their benefits and applicability, and will conclude with the introduction of a novel solution: the Integrated Damping System (IDS), developed through a collaboration between Arup and Imperial College London.

The Integrated Damping System (IDS) takes a novel approach by utilising the building’s own mass as damping mass, rather than relying on added mass. It generates damping through small, controlled differential displacements between the primary structure and the mobilised mass.

The talk will present the encouraging numerical results, assessing the response against realistic wind and seismic excitations, alongside advanced aeroelastic wind tunnel tests in which the IDS was fully integrated into the physical model.

These tests offer unprecedented insights into the system’s performance and highlight the potential of unconventional damping strategies to significantly improve structural efficiency and resilience by enhancing the building dynamic behaviour.