Nature-inspired hexagonal cells: an efficient approach for lateral load resisting skeleton in seismic zones

The structural configuration of a building impose a considerable impact on the design issues with which engineers and architects have to tackle. Nature as a rich source of stability and aesthetic can provide several ways for engineers to design buildings’ structures in such a way that the structure would perform better under gravity and lateral loadings. This paper provides an overview on the hexagrid structural form as a load resisting system in tall buildings. A uniform grid of hexagons and also a fractal replication of hexagons are introduced as the peripheral load resisting system in a 20-story high-rise. Bundled-tube flexural panels were implemented as the interior structure. The computer models were designed and analyzed in SAP 2000 program. The structures were evaluated through nonlinear time history analyses under an ensemble of 3 components of 3 near-field pulse-like ground motion records. Results indicated that both nature-inspired structures act efficiently under seismic loadings and the fractal structure have shown slightly better performance in reducing the damage imposed to the essential structural elements such as exterior corner columns.

Keywords:

nature-inspired structures , fractal structures , hexagrid , tall building