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WSP-Shard_Case_Study

WSP-Shard_Case_Study
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CASE STUDY Project Summary Organization: WSP Solution: Buildings WSP Uses Bentley’s Structural Software to Optimize Unique Geometric Design of The Shard at London Bridge Quarter Location: London Bridge Quarter, London, United Kingdom RAM® Software Enables Design Time and Construction Cost Savings for The Shard Project Objectives: • Maximize use of space in 1.2-million-square-foot skyscraper, the tallest in Western Europe Complex Structure Presents Multiple Design Challenges • Minimize construction cost for client • Optimize safety of 1,016-foot pyramid that has 72 habitable floors • Achieve zero-waste requirements and “Excellent” BREEAM rating Products used: RAM® Structural System RAM® Concept Fast Facts Soaring 95 stories above the South Bank of the Thames, The Shard at London Bridge Quarter is the tallest building in Western Europe. As its name suggests, the building is comprised of multiple glass shards that merge to form an elongated pyramid, creating a complex structural form with many design challenges. The skyscraper was also designed for sustainability, using recycled construction materials and targeting an “Excellent” BREEAM rating. The developer, Sellar Property Group chose WSP, a global design, engineering, and management consultancy to deliver a technical solution for The Shard that was financially viable. Using Bentley’s RAM® structural analysis and design software products, WSP reduced steelwork frame tonnage from 200 kilograms per square meter to 100 kilograms per square meter – just one instance of the value engineering achieved. • WSP won the contract in 2004 for structural design by first providing value engineering services for existing schema The multi-use nature of The Shard posed one of the greater challenges for the design teams. While the space within high-rise buildings typically serves one primary function, The Shard’s 72 habitable floors form a diverse vertical city. • The Shard utilizes a unique hybrid framing system: post-tensioned levels over steel-framed levels • User-friendly, collaborative structural software achieved streamlined workflows, avoided duplication in manual tasks, and improved data and design quality • Construction cost savings included 50 percent reduction in steelwork frame tonnage Design of the $729 million (shell and core) skyscraper began in 2000 by Renzo Piano for the Sellar Property Group. WSP, which has a strong history of structural design work on signature skyscrapers such as the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower in New York City, was retained initially in 2003 for peer review and value engineering for a schema developed by another engineer. “We basically won the confidence of Sellar when we did that review,” said WSP technical director and Shard chief project engineer Rodolfo Giannini. “We were able to demonstrate to the client that we could save on the structural costs, and they employed us as structural engineer.” WSP used Bentley’s RAM structural analysis and design software products to meet design goals for maximum space, minimum construction cost, and optimum safety on this project. Design Challenges Include Mixed-use Occupancy and Non-repeating Geometry • Bentley products enabled engineers to optimize the structural design and achieve project goals ROI for high-density development at transit nodes. The Sellar Property Group retained Italian architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop to design the 1.2-million-square-foot skyscraper as an “expression of the energy” of central London. Analysis and design of The Shard’s raft foundation in RAM Concept. The slender, 1,016-foot pyramid is a multi-use, vertical city with commercial offices, international restaurants, a five-star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residences, and public viewing attraction – The View from The Shard – offering 360-degree, 40-mile views. With a location adjacent to the London Bridge multi-transit station, which averages more than 54 million commuters per year, developer Irvine Sellar conceived The Shard as a way to advance the British government’s push The architect’s plan designated floors 4 through 28 for offices, 31 through 33 for restaurants, 34 through 52 for a 200-room hotel, 53 through 65 for residences, and 68 through 72 for a viewing gallery. WSP’s challenge was to reconcile the need for entirely different floor framing systems necessary for the residential and office floors. The non-repetitive nature of the floor plan geometry posed another serious challenge for WSP’s designers. While many high-rise buildings derive their exterior geometry from a mathematical equation, or vary in an easily predictable manner along the height, this was not the case with this project. Rather, The Shard is comprised of an array of glass shards that merge to form an elongated pyramid, with little vertical geometric continuity. “Each floor plan is different, but in a different way,” explained Giannini. “This kind of random

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THE SHARD WSP capitalized on RAM’s steel beam auto-design capabilities to reduce the steel tonnage to half of what it was in the original schema. Photo credit: Mace/Sellar geometry was the most challenging aspect because it dictated where everything else was placed: where columns needed to be discontinued and where transfer conditions were needed.” VERTICAL CITY Spire LVL 75 Public Viewing Gallery LVL 67-72 Residences LVL 53-66 Shangri‑La Hotel LVL 37-52 Restaurants OUTRIGGERS STEEL LVL 31-36 Office Retail ‑ Public Basement LVL 5-30 CONCRETE MASS CONCRETE CONCRETE CORE STEEL LVL 0-4 LVL B-3...

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“When we have sources due to the complexity of the project. WSP dealt with changes from the architect, client, services engineer, and even changes in the predicted structural loads. Design wind loads were revised after wind tunnel test results warranted changes to the design wind forces, which resulted in adjustments to the structural system for lateral stability. a steel frame, we use Bentley RAM Structural System ROI Achieved Through Bentley’s RAM Software by default. When we have a reinforced or post-tensioned concrete frame, we use RAM Concept. RAM Concept color-coded plot of vertical...

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