Callison

2015

Initiative to explore possibilities and this report articulates the design and feasibility of the construction of a 40-story (420’ / 128-meter) tall residential tower using MTC as the primary structural material and technology of choice for all floor assemblies, beams, partitions, and upper-level columns. 

The research process ultimately alluded to a hybrid and composite format of construction as the optimal solution for a structure of this magnitude although MTC still remains the predominant component of the structure. The tower core, two extending outrigger walls, and the foundation are the only components that are constructed in-situ with reinforced concrete.

Lower floor columns are fabricated in steel and two other outrigger walls in carbon fiber, using the structural performance advantages of new, lightweight carbon fiber strands in a hexagonal net configuration for wind-load resistance. The material-specific advantages of MTC, reinforced concrete, and carbon fiber are strategically put to work to form an innovative high-performance hybrid structural system for tall buildings.