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.
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Using Modified Stiffnesses for Dynamic Calculations
In RFEM, it is possible to modify stiffnesses for materials, cross -sections, members, load cases, and load combinations in many places.
![Vertical Soil Stress under Corner Point of Uniform Rectangle Load [2]](/-/media/Images/website/img/000001-010000/009601-009700/009675.png?la=en&mlid=AEBCAC28C25A4A2F93F419D5DA4345C3&hash=C2A6383AD9BEC4A6A8EB68C3F997CE680E35D3AC)
![Vertical Soil Stress According to Boussinesq [2]](/-/media/Images/website/img/000001-010000/009601-009700/009674.png?la=en&mlid=6A2CE5FBD4C1471CB9163F4CD95C1105&hash=47163D27466542FC24133FADC006A9D2E2FD490F)
![Distribution of Forces and Moments in Column Base According to [1]](/-/media/Images/website/img/000001-010000/009601-009700/009638.png?la=en&mlid=7D34CEAAE7354583A29169095622B515&hash=D5A1CD829CEAC6F92DF0C68F3F0F37A7E0C0E89B)
![System and Loading According to [1]](/-/media/Images/website/img/000001-010000/009601-009700/009634.png?la=en&mlid=F0F0A23924B8424CA1C2905961DF676B&hash=6AC023A421BDDF6BFE2AC5D69132D2F81A0C365A)
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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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
