Case Study: Seismic Design of Jumbo Glass Structures

Continuing our 20th Anniversary celebration at Sentech Architectural Systems, we are excited to unveil the next chapter in our retrospective of groundbreaking work. While our passion lies in pushing the boundaries of structural glass engineering to bring bold architectural visions to life, we know that true innovation requires exceptional teamwork, clear vision, and unwavering ingenuity. Join us as we explore another deep dive into our work on modern facades, which exemplifies this collaborative approach to our work and engineering prowess.

This case study explores our collaborative journey on this unprecedented feat of engineering is detailed in a white paper written by the Sentech team and published by Facade Tectonics, “Seismic Design of Jumbo Glass Structures – Inter Story Drift Analysis of Modern Façades.” The design of structural glass systems continues to evolve with the parallel development of new manufacturing technology. Improvements in the manufacturing processes of jumbo glass, including improved optical quality, improved coatings, and improved manufacturing tolerances, have led to increased use of jumbo glass in structural glass applications.

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Seismic Design of Jumbo Glass Structures – Inter Story Drift Analysis of Modern Façades

Authors:

Alfonso Lopez, P.E. – Principal and CEO, Sentech Architectural Systems

David Dunham, P.E. – Chief Sales Officer, Sentech Architectural Systems

ABSTRACT

The design of structural glass systems continues to evolve with the parallel development of new manufacturing technology. Improvements in the manufacturing processes of jumbo glass, including improved optical quality, improved coatings, and improved manufacturing tolerances, have led to increased use of jumbo glass in structural glass applications.

The design of today’s structural glass façades emphasizes simplicity, minimizes hardware, and makes frequent use of jumbo panels and jumbo fins. This approach results in increasingly transparent structures and has transformed the industry: façade designers are taking full advantage of a design palette that includes and emphasizes jumbo glass systems.

The use of jumbo glass in structural glass systems has many aesthetic and structural advantages, however, the inherent in-plane rigidity of the systems presents challenges to designers in accommodating building movements.

This paper discusses the challenges faced by structural engineers designing structural glass façades with jumbo glass panels, presents novel seismic isolation design methods, and discusses practical design examples of seismic isolation systems used for jumbo glass applications.

Read the Full Paper!

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