Kunming tower: composite systems in supertall design

For the past 20 years, composite systems have dominated supertall construction. This paper will present composite construction solutions at system and component level in the design of supertall buildings using the example of the 407m tall Kunming Tower. The tower utilizes an innovative tied‐braced frame structural system at the perimeter and strategically placed energy dissipating mechanisms to meet the Chinese code requirements and to achieve seismic performance objectives. Given the complexity of the non‐prescriptive structure, many advanced analyses were performed to verify building behavior and optimize the structural system.