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

Synopsis

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.

About the speakers

Miguel Martinez-Paneda is a Principal Structural Engineer at Arup in London and a researcher at Imperial College London. He is a chartered engineer and holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Madrid and a Master of Science in Advanced Structural Engineering – Earthquake Engineering from Imperial College London. Miguel has received numerous accolades throughout his career. These include the 2020 IStructE Young Structural Engineering Professional Award, the Best Research Paper award at the 2023 Earthquake Engineering & Dynamics for a Sustainable Future SECED Conference, multiple project awards, and academic prizes for outstanding performance in both his MArch and MSc.

In person attendance

The event will held in-person at the Institution of Civil Engineers (see map below). Prior registration is not required. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We encourage everyone to attend in person if they can. 

Join online

Please join the Zoom meeting by clicking on this link. Registration is required to join online. 

Further information

This event is organised by SECED, and chaired by Damian Grant (Arup). The event is open to all and is free to attend.