Journal Article

Seismic site–city interaction analysis of super-tall buildings surrounding an underground station: a case study in Hong Kong

Kato Bence, Wang, Gang

2022

Overview

Understanding site–city interaction (SCI) is important for sustainable urban development in seismic regions. Due to vertical expansion of cities, super-tall buildings with deep foundations and large underground chambers are often simultaneously present. However, the role of these structures and their layouts in SCI have not been considered before. This study quantifies the effects of SCI at a congested transport hub in Hong Kong, utilizing 3D numerical modeling. At the site, 16 high-rise buildings surround a center plaza with a large metro station underground. This research demonstrates that the building layout, building inertia, and interaction between underground structures through the soil govern SCI at the site, causing ground motion perturbations and wave trapping between buildings. The presence of buildings causes up to 150–200% amplification in the short-period acceleration spectra and 150% PGA amplifications in the center plaza. Notable SCI effects on structures only appear as excess maximum story accelerations, in the order of 1–2 m/s2, and increased destructive kinetic energy. Amid and around the high-rise buildings, SCI effects may significantly increase seismic demand on short structures. Finally, increasing the seismic demand for the design of super-tall and low-rise buildings is recommended to account for the SCI effects.

• Publisher: Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Amplification / Buildings / Ground motion / High rise buildings / Inertia / Kinetic energy / Layouts / Low rise buildings / Perturbation / Seismic activity / Subway stations / Subways / Sustainable urban development / Tall buildings / Three dimensional models / Transport buildings, stations and terminals / Underground structures / Urban development / Urbanization / Wave trapping