One West Point’s tower damper design (TLD) is underway….
The Tuned Liquid Damper (TLD) detail design is now underway on the tallest tower at City and Dockland’s One West Point development in West London.
Formal Planning Consent was granted earlier in the summer following referral to the GLA for proposals to extend two of the four buildings forming the development. The development being built by CJ O’Shea will provide homes for private sale, affordable housing (to include discount market rent rent - DMR) and a Build to Rent allocation which will be operated by City & Docklands in-house rental management arm AWOL – A Way of LiFE.
Originally 43 storeys, the tallest tower is now 55 storeys and a second tower has also been extended to 39 storeys from 33 storeys.
After a thorough appraisal of various core and outrigger solutions for the 55 storey tower, it became clear that there were significant benefits in providing additional damping at roof level rather than just increasing building stiffness with thicker and more heavily reinforced core walls and outrigger columns to achieve the appropriate comfort levels under wind loading. Maintaining the basic core geometry and layout for the 43 storey design was a key constraint as well as looking to minimise the impact on floor area. Without additional damping, the perimeter edge columns supporting the outrigger walls forming a key part of the building’s stability system became too large affecting the balconies.
The option saved floor area as well as reducing material quantities and carbon. Damper technology and the concept of providing damping in building is more commonly associated with the design of towers in the United States and the Far East etc.
The TLD or ‘slosh tank’ design is being developed based upon a program of wind tunnel testing as well as on-site testing to measure the actual performance of the building’s stability system under excitation during construction. The baffle design will be tested using scale models. Conceptual designs and preliminary proposals were developed by Rwdi-Anemos and the detail damper design is being undertaken by GradientWind, based in Ottawa, Canada.
The development is due for completion in 2022 – the tower will likely be the first building in the UK fitted with an operational TLD!
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