ATC Design Guide 3

Serviceability Design
of Tall Buildings
Under Wind Loads

Applied Technology Council

 Applied Technology Council
The Applied Technology Council (ATC) is an internationally recognized non-profit corporation
founded by the Structural Engineers Association of California in 1973 to protect life and
property through the advancement of science and engineering technologies. With a focus on
seismic engineering, and demonstrated capabilities in wind, coastal inundation, and blast
engineering, ATC develops state-of-the-art, user-friendly engineering resources and
applications to mitigate the effects of natural and other hazards on the built environment. ATC
implements funded research and technology transfer projects through the development of
nonproprietary consensus opinions on structural engineering issues. ATC also identifies and
encourages needed research, and disseminates technological advancements through
guidelines, manuals, seminars, workshops, forums, and electronic media.

ATC consists of a small group of in-house technical and support staff, assisted by highly
qualified individuals engaged as consultants or subcontractors on specific projects. With this
model, ATC is able to assemble teams of researchers and practitioners in diverse areas of
expertise that would not otherwise be available through any one organization. Funding for ATC
projects comes from federal, state, and local government entities, or from the private sector in
the form of tax-deductible contributions to the ATC Endowment Fund.

ATC is guided by a nationally recognized Board of Directors consisting of representatives

appointed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Council of Structural
Engineers Associations, the Structural Engineers Association of California, the Structural
Engineers Association of New York, the Western Council of Structural Engineers Associations,
and four at-large members representing different areas of engineering practice. Each director
serves a three-year term.

2019 Board of Directors

Carrie J. Johnson, President Donald O. Dusenberry

James O. Malley, Vice President Michael D. Engelhardt
Michael L. Cochran, Secretary/Treasurer Ryan A. Kersting
Douglas C. Hohbach, Past President Christopher W. Letchford
Melissa Burton Aspasia (Sissy) Nikolaou
Lyle P. Carden David O. Prevatt
Anthony B. Court Christos Tokas

Disclaimer

Although the information presented in this publication is believed to be correct, ATC makes no
warranty, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or
completeness of the information or opinions expressed herein. The material presented in this
publication should not be used or relied upon without competent examination by qualified
professionals or without verification of the accuracy or suitability for the intended application.
Users of information from this publication assume all liability arising from such use.

Cover illustration: Tall building responding to wind loads.

Copyright 2019 Applied Technology Council

 ATC Design Guide 3
Serviceability Design of
Tall Buildings Under Wind Loads

by
Applied Technology Council
201 Redwood Shores Parkway, Suite 240
Redwood City, California 94065

Funded by
The Applied Technology Council
Endowment Fund

Edited by
Jon A. Heintz
Christopher W. Letchford

Prepared by

Authors Project Review Panel

Peter A. Irwin Melissa D. Burton
Lawrence G. Griffis Leighton Cochran
William F. Baker Ahmad Rahimian
Donald R. Scott

2019
 Preface
This report is the third in a series of Design Guides developed by the Applied
Technology Council with funding from the ATC Endowment Fund. This series is
intended to provide succinct, state-of-the-art information on important design
issues for practicing structural engineers. The first in the series, ATC Design
Guide 1, Minimizing Floor Vibration, was published in 1999. The second, ATC
Design Guide 2, Basic Wind Engineering for Low-Rise Buildings, was published in
2009.
This third Design Guide addresses serviceability limit states that should be
considered in the design of tall buildings, including perception of motion, and
lateral deflection (i.e., drift) under serviceability level lateral wind loading.
Although much research has been conducted on human perception and sensitivity
to motion, specific serviceability limit states for wind load design have not been
codified in the United States, and have generally been left to the discretion of the
design engineer. The purpose of this guide is to fill this gap by providing
background information and recommended criteria that have been developed
based on available research, engineering practice, and successful experience
with tall buildings currently in service.
The project to develop this guide was initiated by the ATC Board of Directors in
2014, with the objective of utilizing the ATC Endowment Fund in service to the
profession. The proceeds from the publication and sale of this guide will be
invested back into the ATC Endowment Fund.
ATC is indebted to the expertise and long-term commitment of the authors and
reviewers, without whom this document would not have been possible. ATC
gratefully acknowledges the work of the author group, including the leadership of
Peter Irwin and the contributions of Larry Griffis and Bill Baker. ATC also
acknowledges the Project Review Panel, consisting of Melissa Burton, Leighton
Cochran, Ahmad Rahimian, and Don Scott, for their technical review, which
helped shape the final product. Finally, ATC would like to acknowledge Chris
Letchford for his assistance in editing this document, and Carrie Perna for ATC
report production services.
Jon A. Heintz
ATC Executive Director

ATC Design Guide 3 Preface iii

Contents
Preface............................................................................................. iii

Figures ........................................................................................... vii

Tables .............................................................................................. ix

1 Introduction ................................................................................1-1
1.1 Characteristics of Tall Buildings ............................................................ 1-1
1.2 Serviceability Limit States ..................................................................... 1-2
1.3 Growth in the Construction of Tall Buildings and the Birth of Wind
Engineering .......................................................................................... 1-3
1.4 Perception of Motion ............................................................................. 1-4
1.5 Building Sway ....................................................................................... 1-6
1.6 Organization and Content ..................................................................... 1-6

2 Interaction Between Wind and Tall Buildings ...................................2-1

2.1 The Planetary Boundary Layer and Wind Loading ................................. 2-1
2.2 Wind Tunnel Testing and Analysis ........................................................ 2-2
2.3 Shape and Aerodynamic Effects ............................................................ 2-3
2.4 Effects of Structural Properties .............................................................. 2-5
2.5 Supplemental Damping Systems ........................................................... 2-6

3 Motion Criteria ...........................................................................3-1

3.1 Factors to Consider in Establishing Motion Criteria .............................. 3-1
3.2 Characterization of Motion using Acceleration and Torsional
Velocity................................................................................................. 3-1
3.3 Audible and Visual Indicators of Motion ................................................ 3-2
3.4 Quantification using Peak or RMS Quantities ......................................... 3-2
3.5 Components of Acceleration ................................................................. 3-4
3.6 Torsional Velocity ................................................................................. 3-5
3.7 Return Periods for Motion Criteria ........................................................ 3-6

4 Motion Design Guidance ..............................................................4-1

4.1 Recommended Acceleration Criteria .................................................... 4-1
4.2 Recommended Torsional Velocity Criteria............................................ 4-3

5 Drift Criteria ...............................................................................5-1

5.1 Requirements for Assessing Drift and Damage Potential ....................... 5-1
5.2 Measure of Damage .............................................................................. 5-1
5.3 Analytical Models for Building Sway ..................................................... 5-2
5.3.1 Flexural (Cantilever) Type Deformations ..................................... 5-3
5.3.2 Shear (Racking) Type Deformations ............................................ 5-4
5.3.3 Panel Zone Deformations ............................................................. 5-4
5.3.4 Member Properties for Wind Serviceability Analysis .................. 5-4

ATC Design Guide 3 Contents v

 5.3.5 Modeling of the Foundation (Soil-Structure Interaction) .............. 5-6
5.3.6 Modeling of the Gravity Load System .......................................... 5-7
5.3.7 Modeling of Architectural Components ...................................... 5-7
5.3.8 Modeling of Deformation Damageable Zones ............................. 5-7
5.4 Wind Loads and Wind Hazard Levels ................................................... 5-8
5.4.1 Adjustment of Deformation Demands for Different Mean
Recurrence Intervals ................................................................... 5-9
5.4.2 Serviceability Load Combination for Wind.................................. 5-9
5.5 Deformation Damage Index (DDI) Limits ............................................ 5-11
5.6 Evaluation of Damage Using Fragilities .............................................. 5-13

6 Drift Design Guidance ................................................................. 6-1

6.1 Control of Dynamic Response Properties ............................................. 6-1
6.2 Control of Drift...................................................................................... 6-4

Appendix A: Dependence of Wind Response on Mass, Damping, and

Natural Frequency.......................................................................A-1

Appendix B: Components of Acceleration ............................................B-1

Appendix C: Stiffness of Composite Beams ......................................... C-1

C.1 Stiffness of Composite Beams in Lateral Load-Resisting Frames ...........C-1

References ..................................................................................... D-1

Project Participants .......................................................................... E-1

vi Contents ATC Design Guide 3

 Figures
1-1 Number of tall buildings, and their heights, completed since 1989 ........... 1-3
1-2 Boundary layer wind tunnel test of a building in New York City ................ 1-4
1-3 Motion simulator test to assess comfort levels in various wind conditions:
(a) motion simulator; and (b) owner’s representatives within the
simulator ................................................................................................... 1-5
2-1 Computer simulation of vortex shedding .................................................. 2-2
3-1 Typical acceleration responses (wave forms) near the top of a tall
building on a horizontal scale of minutes: east-west response (top); north-
south response (middle); and torsional response (bottom) ....................... 3-3
3-2 Typical translational and rotational modes of vibration in a tall building:
uncoupled torsion (top); and coupled torsion (bottom) ............................. 3-4
4-1 Maximum acceptable peak acceleration versus natural frequency for
office buildings, for 10-year, 1-year, and 0.1-year return periods ............. 4-2
4-2 Maximum acceptable peak acceleration versus natural frequency for
residential buildings, for 10-year, 1-year, and 0.1-year return periods ..... 4-2
5-1 Deformation damageable zone (DDZ) and parameters used in the
deformation damage index (DDI) .............................................................. 5-2
5-2 Types of building deformations under lateral load: (a) flexural
(cantilever); and (b) shear (racking) deformations .................................... 5-3
5-3 Response of a tall building in terms of base overturning moment as a
function of wind direction ........................................................................ 5-10
5-4 Typical drywall cracking due to racking drift .......................................... 5-12
5-5 Fragility curves for a typical gypsum wallboard partition and
hypothetical demands for 10-year, 25-year, and 50-year MRI wind
loading .................................................................................................... 5-13
5-6 Range of DDIs calculated for 10-year, 25-year, and 50-year MRI wind
loading, plotted on fragility curves for a typical gypsum wallboard
partition .................................................................................................. 5-14
6-1 Plan view of the center of stiffness, center of mass, and center of wind
pressure at a typical level of a building ..................................................... 6-2
6-2 Range of building periods from past designs of tall buildings ................... 6-3
A-1 Motion of a tall building in the first mode of sway vibration ...................... A-1
A-2 Example spectra for along-wind and crosswind generalized forces ......... A-3
B-1 Reduction factors for resultant peak acceleration for different values of
modal response ratio, Rq, plotted as a function of mode shape ratio ..........B-4

ATC Design Guide 3 Figures vii

 C-1 Zones of stiffness in composite beams subjected to lateral and gravity
loads .........................................................................................................C-1

viii Figures ATC Design Guide 3

 Tables
4-1 Recommended Torsional Velocity Criteria ................................................ 4-3
5-1 Concrete Member Properties for Wind Serviceability Analyses ................ 5-5
5-2 Steel and Composite Member Properties for Wind Serviceability
Analysis..................................................................................................... 5-6
5-3 Probabilities of Exceedance for Different Serviceability Level Mean
Recurrence Intervals ................................................................................. 5-8
5-4 Recommended DDI Limits for Serviceability Design ............................... 5-11
6-1 Possible Design Objectives Based on MRI, DDI, and Desired Quality
and Durability ........................................................................................... 6-5
C-1 Parameters for Composite Beam Stiffness Assessment ............................. C-2

ATC Design Guide 3 Tables ix