Composite Frame Construction
The 1994 T.R. Author evolved in tall building design Lawrence G. Griffis, P.E. is senior whereby structural steel and rein- Higgins Lecture: vice president and director of struc- forced concrete have been com- Composite Frame tural engineering for Walter P. bined to produce a building with the Moore and Associates, Inc. in advantages of each material, Construction Houston, Texas. namely, the inherent stiffness and Mr. Griffis has served as princi- economy of reinforced concrete pal-in-charge or project manager and the speed of construction, for numerous large projects utiliz- strength and light weight of struc- ing structural steel, concrete and tural steel. composite framed construction. This paper explores, through a Several recent projects include the series of recent case histories, why 1,047-bed Veterans Administration the designers of tall buildings in the Medical Center Hospital Replace- United States, use composite ment/Modernization in Houston, frame structures. The advantages Texas; The Orlando Arena, a and disadvantages of this type of 16,200-seat multi-purpose facility building system are addressed. for the City of Orlando, Florida; The Potential problems this type of Chevron Tower in downtown Hous- structure poses to designers and ton, Texas, a 52-story composite builders, and the need for a clear understanding by the steel erector Lawrence G. Griffis framed office tower; and the Great American Pyramid, a 22,000-seat of the design assumptions, are special events arena for the City of pointed out. Memphis, Tennessee. The future of composite-frame Mr. Griffis has authored several construction may very well lie in the technical publications on the sub- area of low-rise construction, par- ject of composite frame construc- ticularly in high seismic zones.
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