Meixi Urban Helix Structure in Changsha, China
Customer Project
A spectacular viewing platform visible from afar is the architectural highlight of the Meixi International New City, a city expansion of Changsa, China. The conical-shaped double helix with a height of 30 m provides a 360-degree view including the artificial Meixi lake which covers a 4,305,564 ft² area.
| Investor | City of Changsha, China |
| Architect |
KSP Jürgen Engel Architects www.ksp-engel.com |
| Structural Analysis |
Weiske + Partner GmbH Beratende Ingenieure VBI
|
Model
KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten together with the Weiske + Partner structural engineers developed different ideas for the project in 2013. The decision was made in favor of the helix in its present form. The engineers from Weiske + Partner used the FEA software RFEM for the structural analysis of the spatial structure.
Structure
A pedestrian accessible 6-meter wide ramp spirals upward around the exterior of the inclined columns. At the lookout height of 99 ft, the helix has a total diameter of 289 ft. A reverse ramp on the interior of the columns leads pedestrians back down to the base of the structure. The structure has a total length of one kilometre and eventually ends in a public park.
The ramps consist of bending and torsion-resistant steel pipes which are supported at the face of the 32 steel columns. Because the ramp is supported on both the interior and exterior of the columns, the eccentric loads are largely compensated. Therefore, the columns were designed as relatively slender and economical hollow box sections. The tapered columns consist of a wider base diameter and are fixed at the footing to a circular foundation on large bored piles.
The lateral support of the helix structure includes filigree tension cables spanning between the columns. The cables' flat inclination reduces the horizontal stiffness of the structure resulting in smaller seismic load reaction forces.
Project Location
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New
CSA S16:19 Stability Considerations and the New Annex O.2
Structure stability is not a new phenomenon when referring to steel design. The Canadian steel design standard CSA S16 and the most recent 2019 release is no exception.
Material Model Orthotropic Masonry 2D
The material model Orthotropic Masonry 2D is an elastoplastic model that additionally allows softening of the material, which can be different in the local x- and y-direction of a surface. The material model is suitable for (unreinforced) masonry walls with in-plane loads.
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Why are my steel members not being designed for stability in RF-STEEL AISC?
- My section is classified as Class 4 and non-designable in RF-/STEEL CSA. However, my manual calculation shows a different class. Why the difference?
- Can the properties, such as B. the cross -section or the surface thickness as well as the material of a surface of an existing element for a new element?
- I have defined temperature loads, strain loads, or a precamber. As soon as I modify stiffnesses, the deformations are no longer plausible.
- When should the punching load be determined with the (un)smoothed distribution of the shear forces at the critical perimeter?
- I would like to perform the punching shear design on a column with connected downstand beams as a wall corner or Perform wall end. However, the module applies an internal column. Is it possible to adjust it?
- I am getting the message that my material does not meet the requirements of the current standard. How can I correct this?
- Is it possible to design bidirectional ribbed plates, unidirectional ribbed plates, or hollow core slabs in RFEM?
- Why are the values of a column base, head or center on the individual columns only displayed partially for the results from the calculation in RF‑CONCRETE Columns?
- I am trying to manually check the deformations from the CRANEWAY add-on module. However, I obtain great deviations. How to explain the differences?
Programs Used for Structural Analysis
Main Program
Structural engineering software for finite element analysis (FEA) of planar and spatial structural systems consisting of plates, walls, shells, members (beams), solids and contact elements
3,540.00 USD
Add-on Module
Stress analysis of steel surfaces and members
1,030.00 USD
Add-on Module
Design of steel members according to Eurocode 3
1,480.00 USD
Add-on Module
Design of reinforced concrete members and surfaces (plates, walls, planar structures, shells)
810.00 USD
Add-on Module
Dynamic analysis of natural frequencies and mode shapes of member, surface, and solid models
1,030.00 USD
