VERTICAL DIMENSIONS

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- LO 1 Comprehension (C2): Explain principles and concept of the wide span building system.
- LO 3 Application (C3): Apply principles and concept of the wide span building system.
- LO 4 Application (C3): Illustrate principles and concept of the wide span building system.

Reference:
- Ching, Francis D.K. (2014). Building Structures Illustrated. 2nd Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.
Note: Slides have been adapted from this source.

Sub Topics:
1. The vertical supports
2. The vertical systems of enclosure
Horizontal spanning systems must closely relate to vertical supports such as:
- Columns
- Beams
- Parallel series of bearing walls
- A combination of both
Vertical supports must be coordinated with the desired form.
Designers use plans, sections, and elevations for representation to create two-dimensional planar fields which enable investigation of:
- Formal patterns
- Scale relationships within the design
- Imposing an intellectual order on design

A building's vertical scale affects the selection and layout of its structural system.
For low-rise and short-span structures built from heavy materials (e.g., steel, concrete, masonry):
- Living load generally drives structural shape.
For long-span buildings of similar materials:
- Dead load typically determines the structural method.
Vertical scale influences both selection and layout of structural systems.

The height of a space more significantly determines its overall scale compared to its width or length.
Ceiling height:
- Defines privacy and protected feeling of a space.
- Increasing ceiling height more dramatically impacts on space perception than width increases.

Interior spaces are enclosed, divided, and protected by walls, which are vertical structures.
Walls can be:
- Nonstructural panels attached to or occupying spaces between columns and beams (framework).
- Load-bearing structures (homogeneous or composite) designed to support imposed loads from floors and roofs.

The roof structure is a primary element of a building's sheltering system that affects the building’s shape and form while protecting interior spaces from external elements such as sunlight, rain, and snow.
The roof spans across spaces and must sustain its supports and slopes to improve drainage.
Example: Roof structure impact seen in Menara Mesiniaga, Selangor, Malaysia (Yeang Ken, 1989–1992).

Structural Frames:
- Can support various nonbearing or curtain-wall systems.
Concrete and Masonry Bearing Walls:
- Classified as noncombustible, fire-resistant.
- Requires reinforcement to withstand tensile stresses.
Metal and Wood Stud Walls:
- Timber structures need shear planes or diagonal bracing for lateral stability.

Common Type:
- Wide-flange (WF) shape.
Can be used for bolted or welded connections, facilitating connection to beams.
Other Steel column shapes include:
- Square or rectangular tubing
- Circular pipes
Load Determination:
- Permitted load based on cross-sectional area and narrowness ratio $(L/r)$ :
- Where $(L)$ = Unsupported length (inches)
- Where $(r)$ = Least radius of gyration.

Considerations for Wood Columns:
- Type of timber
- Structural quality
- Modulus of elasticity characteristics
- Allowable shear, bending, and compressive stress values
- Specific loading conditions and connection types
Wood columns generally experience axial loading and compression.
Warning: If the maximum unit stress in compression parallel to the permitted unit stress exceeds thresholds, failure may occur from crushed wood fibers.

Three Types:
1. Solid
2. Built-up
3. Spaced (with continuous members)
Built-up columns can be glue-laminated or mechanically fastened.
- Glue-laminated columns may withstand higher stresses than solid sawn columns.
- Mechanically fastened columns typically exhibit lower strength than solid columns of equivalent material.

Definition:
- A bearing wall transfers compressive pressures downwards and supports imposed loads (e.g., from roof or floor).
Construction Materials:
- Options include masonry, cast-in-place concrete, site-cast tilt-up concrete, and metal or wood studs.
Requirements:
- Must be continuous from floor to floor and vertically oriented.
Lateral Resistance:
- Bearing walls can serve as shear walls against lateral forces such as wind and earthquakes when continuous, but may be weak against lateral forces acting perpendicular to their plane due to relative thinness.

Definition:
- Curtain walls are outer walls that only bear their own weight and lateral stresses, not contributing to structural stability.
Construction:
- Can be built from metal framing with vision glass or opaque spandrel units.
- May consist of thin veneer panels of precast concrete, cut stone, masonry, or metal.

Characteristics:
- Combines structural support with cladding and is suitable for long-term purposes.
- Underlying support systems for windows are visible and distinct from the building’s main structure.
Types of systems used:
- Strong-back system
- Glass fin systems
- Planar truss systems
- Mast truss system
- Cabled truss systems
- Grid shells
- Cable net systems

Architectural Structures:
Task: Explain vertical dimension of wide span building structure in section, detail scale 1:20.

Ching, Francis D.K. (2014). Building Structures Illustrated. 2nd Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.