Design Economics for the Built Environment: Impact of Sustainability on Project Evaluation

Chapter 20Designing Super-Tall Buildings for Increased Resilience: New Measures and Cost Considerations

James Hayhoe

20.1 Introduction

There is now a growing challenge in designing tall buildings for increased resilience particularly from terrorism, explosion and other similar threats. Managing the evolving risk involved in designing tall buildings is a complex process as a result of the diverse factors involved and the potential cost implications. The responsibility placed upon the design team including cost specialists for designing and engineering cost-effective solutions to the challenges posed by terrorism or similar explosive threats has never been greater.

This chapter explores the factors influencing the design of tall buildings, the new measures adopted, and their cost implications. The chapter starts with an overview of the key challenges in tall buildings, the need for increased resilience and future-proofing design, to cope with critical threats in modern society such as the evolving terrorist threat and other similar threats. Key factors which influence the design and cost of tall buildings such as shape, effect of core design and size of floor plate, height of buildings, embodied energy and building services, need for vertical transportation, level of fire protection, and structure and frame construction are discussed. Some of the new measures to increase the resilience of tall buildings to deal with terrorism and similar threats such as fire are also discussed, along ...