LATBSDC alternative design case study-concrete shear wall only beyond 240-foot LABC code limit: optimized behavior

The resurgence of high‐rise construction has presented a challenge for the structural engineering community to bridge the gap between the requirements of prescriptive building code procedures and optimal structural system design. In response, the Los Angeles Tall Building Structural Design Council has formulated an alternate design procedure that provides a tool for the engineer to use to optimize the design the lateral force resisting system for high‐rise buildings with the goal of achieving a design that would yield a performance at least equivalent to the prescriptive methods contained within the building code. Using the alternate procedures, a case study was performed for a sample high‐rise building and compared to the same building design by prescriptive code procedures. The comparison was aimed at determining whether it could be concluded that an equivalent performance was obtained and what the required structural elements are for the two approaches. Lastly, a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks alternative design process itself is presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.