Effect of Built-Form Configuration on Energy and Structural Performance of Skyscraper Buildings

The design of high performance buildings is becoming increasingly complex. Efforts are being made by engineers and architects to reduce the environmental impact of buildings to conserve resources and secure our energy future. It has been suggested that for each of the four Koppen’s climate zones (arid, tropical, temperate, and cool) (Kottek M. et al 2006) there exists an optimal building morphology that defines floor plan geometry and placement of the primary structural cores, which contains major mechanical services and vertical transportation conduits.

This paper presents a quantitative study of the effect of building morphology on the energy performance of high rise buildings in each of the four climate zones. It addresses the implications of the various building morphologies for building structural performance, an effect which has been largely neglected in previous considerations of building morphology and energy performance.

The energy analysis is performed using Autodesk Ecotect Analysis 2011, and the structural calculations are made by hand. Four building morphologies are investigated, each representing a high rise commercial building with equivalent area, height, and material usage. Results present annual heating and cooling loads, the structural lateral stiffness, and the susceptibility of the building to torsional action under wind loading.