This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using 30 historical ground motion records of varying frequency content. Based on the results of the time history analyses, modifications to the ASCE 7-05 provision specific to roof-mounted solar towers are proposed.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using 30 historical ground motion records of varying frequency content. Based on the results of the time history analyses, modifications to the ASCE 7-05 provision specific to roof-mounted solar towers are proposed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Balla, Peter Luiz"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Architecture - Architectural Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Architecture","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Craig Baltimore"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-11-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-11-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:28Z","subjects":["Towers","Seismic Amplification Effects","Building Rooftop","Architectural Engineering","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2013.179"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2013.179","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2013.179","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1093","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Craig Baltimore"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Balla, Peter Luiz"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-11-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Architecture - Architectural Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Towers","Seismic Amplification Effects","Building Rooftop","Architectural Engineering","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1093","10.15368/theses.2013.179"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using 30 historical ground motion records of varying frequency content. Based on the results of the time history analyses, modifications to the ASCE 7-05 provision specific to roof-mounted solar towers are proposed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Approximating the Seismic Amplification Effects Experienced by Solar Towers Mounted on the Rooftops of Low-Rise Industrial Buildings"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Craig Baltimore"],"dc:creator":["Balla, Peter Luiz"],"dc:date.available":["2013-11-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis investigates the acceleration amplification experienced by solar towers mounted on the rooftops of low-rise industrial buildings during a seismic event. Specifically, this thesis looks to assess the validity of using amplification factors adopted by the ASCE 7-05Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures to approximate seismic acceleration amplification for roof-mounted solar towers. To investigate the validity of the ASCE 7-05 amplification factors, this thesis conducts timehistory analyses of three theoretical solar towers mounted on the roof of a case study building. The time history analyses are conducted in the finite element computer modeling program SAP 2000 using 30 historical ground motion records of varying frequency content. Based on the results of the time history analyses, modifications to the ASCE 7-05 provision specific to roof-mounted solar towers are proposed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1093","10.15368/theses.2013.179"],"dc:subject":["Towers","Seismic Amplification Effects","Building Rooftop","Architectural Engineering","Civil Engineering","Structural Engineering"],"dc:title":["Approximating the Seismic Amplification Effects Experienced by Solar Towers Mounted on the Rooftops of Low-Rise Industrial Buildings"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Architecture"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Architecture - Architectural Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:28Z"}