Tianjin CTF Finance Centre: wind, form and structure

The Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is a 530m super-tall building nearing completion in the People's Republic of China. For a building of this height, wind forces and associated wind-induced motion in the upper levels can become dominant factors in the structural design of its foundations and lateral-stability system. This article describes how an initial aerodynamic shape-optimisation workshop allowed the design team to develop a finely tuned architectural form capable of minimising the detrimental effects of vortex shedding. This process, approx. 10 hours of wind tunnel time, was able to deliver key design information (e.g. peak dynamic overturning moments and wind-induced peak accelerations) in real time for a total of 17 aerodynamic variations of the tower form: a result which, previously, would only have been possible through an extensive and time-consuming campaign of wind tunnel tests. The way in which the wind loading was then refined, making use of simultaneous pressure integration and aeroelastic techniques, will also be described. Details about other wind engineering studies, aimed at investigating the pedestrian-level wind microclimate, the facade wind pressure, as well as the stack effect, will also be briefly presented.