New Approach in the Design of Piled Raft Foundations of Tall Buildings

The construction of super buildings in excess of 300 m in height has become increasingly common over the past ten years and with them comes new design challenges to both structural and geotechnical engineers.

This paper outlines the current design practices adopted by the geotechnical and structural engineer in the design of piled raft foundations of a super tall building, with a case study of a combined sub-structure and super-structure model for a proposed super tall building. With the development of this model, the interaction of the building’s geotechnical and structural behaviour is clearly demonstrated in order to produce an integrated design solution. The benefits are better understanding of the building’s response under lateral loadings, cost savings in raft thickness and depth of piles, assistance with the optimum building location and reduction in construction materials to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.