Locally-based engineering firm gets wind of another very tall building
GUELPH — The higher the skyscrapers go, the more they seem to find the wind expertise of a Guelph-based engineering firm indispensible.
RWDI (Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin Inc.) played a crucial role in the design of the current world’s tallest building, providing wind engineering analysis that guided the builders of the 828-metre tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Now, engineers with the international company headquartered in Guelph are craning their necks even higher, doing the same kind of work for the proposed Kingdom Tower near the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on the Red Sea.
If Burj Khalifa is tall, this building will be gargantuan — scaling the heavens to a record one kilometre. By comparison, Canada’s tallest skyscraper, Toronto’s First Canadian Place, is just 298 metres. Our tallest building is the CN Tower in Toronto, still puny in comparison at a diminutive 553 metres.
A key challenge with any tall building, as RWDI’s wind engineering expert Jon Galsworthy explained, is the effect wind currents have on the stability of the structure. All tall buildings sway in the wind, moving in order to resist wind loads.
Designing a building so that it moves to an insignificant degree, ensuring it will be as stable as possible under all wind conditions, is a crucial consideration, especially for the sense of security of those inside the building, Galsworthy said.
RWDI also worked on the towering Petronas Towers in Malaysia and Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and conducted wind analysis for the new Yankee Stadium and numerous other sports facilities. It has become a world leader in wind effects. It began work on the wind engineering studies for the Kingdom Tower in March, 2010.
“Our work as wind engineering consultant is to provide the rest of the design team with design information, including structural wind-loads,†Galsworthy, the company’s project director for wind engineering studies said, simplifying the complex science that goes into the work.
The analysis of wind also helps determine what kind of exterior cladding is best for certain wind conditions. The Red Sea area where the Kingdom Tower is to be built is noted for being quite windy, he added.
“We also get involved in predictions of wind induced motions on the building, and determine if the level of motion is such that occupants in the building will still have a level of comfort,†he explained. “Jeddah is generally what a layperson would characterize as a windy place. They do have winds coming off the sea, and they also have a very open exposure — with essentially open water and open desert conditions.â€
Along with the building’s architect, AS+GG Architects, RWDI undertakes studies that help shape the tower, so that wind loading and motion is minimized. Tall buildings have to be designed to resist the wind, both in its structure and its foundation. In this case, the foundation will be of the deep pile variety, and the overall area of the base of the building will be enormous, a full two square kilometers.
“Wind loading is the dominant loading for a building of this height,†Galsworthy said. “We’re a key component of the overall effort, and we are involved quite early.â€
Tall buildings, Galsworthy said, have an iconic nature. They automatically create attention, and draw visitors.
“We like to think that we have a good reputation around the world,†he added. “This would be the fourth record-breaking building around the world in a row that we’ve worked on.â€
Kingdom Tower, he said, is “a fantastic project to be involved with,†and working on it means working with the world’s best architects and engineers.
RWDI has offices across Canada, and wind engineering operations in the United Kingdom, India and China.
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