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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Comparative study of bracing patterns and materials for tall timber buildings

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Exploration of new designs for urban environments is increasingly focusing on reducing carbon emissions generated by construction and operation of tall buildings. With recent technological advances in timber construction and its potential to mitigate the carbon embodied in structural materials, tall timber buildings are gaining acceptance as various forms are considered for their designs. Recently built and proposed buildings demonstrate the use of mass timber to resist gravity and lateral loads. There are inherent efficiencies in placing lateral load resisting systems on the perimeter of a structure along with the possibilities to integrate versatile geometric patterns and effective structural solutions. However, timber material properties may lead to elements of larger volume than those made of steel or concrete. This study compares structural stiffness gains and carbon emission reductions for exterior bracing created in timber and timber-steel hybrid configurations. Numerical analyses are used to explore braced frame geometries and layouts for the steel and timber elements, to predict structural response, and compare the effects of material placement.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master
Department dc:contributor.department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
2020

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Kawar, Alexandra(Alexandra Alba)
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Gordana Herning.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127286
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/127286

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
MIT
Base URL
dspace.mit.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Kawar, Alexandra(Alexandra Alba). Comparative study of bracing patterns and materials for tall timber buildings. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127286