Vibration control of a high-rise structural development in downtown Toronto

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High-rise buildings are flexible structures with high sensitivity to dynamic excitation. For these types of buildings, vibration caused by ordinary wind loading may create problems from the viewpoint of serviceability and comfort of the occupants. Tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) are passive vibration absorbers that can be used to control wind-induced vibrations of high rise buildings. They have attracted attention as a result of their low cost, ease of installation and minimal maintenance requirements. Typically, the TLD is a liquid (generally water) filled tank that uses liquid sloshing action to dampen oscillations by tuning the sloshing of the liquid's natural frequency to the system's fundamental oscillation frequency. To enable the efficient design of a TLD, its behaviour and interaction with the structure need to be well understood. Stephenson Engineering is currently engaged as the structural consultants designing the One York Street and 90 Harbour Street Mixed Use Development in downtown Toronto. This development consists of a 35-storey commercial office building and two residential towers of 70 and 66-storeys. In addition to the three towers there is a significant retail/commercial podium and a four level underground parking garage. The control of the vibration of the tall residential towers to ensure the comfort of the occupants is one of the significant challenges on this project. In this collaborative research, the University of Toronto research group will develop a new multi-platform simulation tool to obtain the dynamic response of the Mixed Use Development residential towers equipped with TLDs. The numerical database that will be generated in this collaborative study will enable the efficient design of TLDs as cost-effective and maintenance-free supplemental energy dissipation devices; this will in turn facilitate safe and economical construction of taller structures.