Tall buildings shaping factors : technical evolutions, macroeconomic drivers and future perspectives ; Factores de mudança em edifícios altos : evoluções técnicas, impulsos macroeconomicos e perspectivas futuras

Abstract

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Civil (área de especialização em Perfil de Construções) ; Tall buildings are one of the major technological achievements in the 20th century. Burj Khalifa or Shanghai World Financial Center put the cities in which they are built in the imaginary of the common citizen. The following dissertation will focus on provide a basic understanding of the different structural methodologies applied in tall buildings that allows them to go higher. It also address some macro economical patterns that are present when there is the construction of a world's tallest building, in order to connect tall buildings with macroeconomic environment. To provide a thinking line about which happenings and factors led to the evolution of tall buildings, especially regarding their location, function and high. Finally, to release some of the knowledge and challenges that innovative ways to construct tall buildings enclosure, focusing on prefabrication and modular tall buildings. The methodology adopted in this research was mostly based on bibliographic investigation and data collection and analysis from databases related with the construction of tall buildings. The data collected was especially analyzed in terms of the relationship between relevant economical and political drivers and the construction of tall buildings. Additionally, recent examples of paradigmatic tall building projects, either still in the project stage or already constructed, were analyzed and framed in the context of the several factors identified as strongly related with tall buildings features. The obtained results suggest that tall buildings evolution is closely related with economical and strategic environment of where they are built. The construction of the world's tallest building holders is the climax of an artificial economic environment around societies. Moreover tall buildings' evolution is shown to partly result from economic performances and technical development but also from ego and symbolic motivations. The ...