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Torre Reforma and Its Seismic Structure

Mexico is located in a seismically active area due to three tectonic plates that are subducting beneath each other. The Torre Reforma is an 807 foot skyscraper in Mexico City designed with various seismic engineering techniques to withstand earthquakes, such as interlocking concrete walls with predetermined breaking points, coupling beams that yield during strong quakes, and cross-bracing. Its design aims to dissipate seismic energy through controlled cracking rather than building sway to keep occupants safe during earthquakes.

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558 views11 pages

Torre Reforma and Its Seismic Structure

Mexico is located in a seismically active area due to three tectonic plates that are subducting beneath each other. The Torre Reforma is an 807 foot skyscraper in Mexico City designed with various seismic engineering techniques to withstand earthquakes, such as interlocking concrete walls with predetermined breaking points, coupling beams that yield during strong quakes, and cross-bracing. Its design aims to dissipate seismic energy through controlled cracking rather than building sway to keep occupants safe during earthquakes.

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api-376424331
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Photo Courtesy of Canva

TORRE
REFORMA
21 YHPARGOEG

By: Nandini Soni and Sukhmani Bhinder


MEXICO'S EARTHQAUKES
Mexico is one of the most seismically active countries in the
world.
The country sits atop three of the Earth's largest tectonic plates.
The North American Plate
The Cocos Plate
The Pacific Plate
It is located in a subduction zone.
Part of the earth where one slab of the crust is slowly sliding
under another.
Stress builds because of friction between the slabs, and at
some point, the strain becomes so great that all the energy is
released in the form of an earthquake.
ABOUT THE
BUILDING.

The Torre Reforma is a Mexico City sky-scraper.


Height: 807 ft
The tallest building in Mexico City in 2016
48th tallest building in the world
AESTHETICS AND DESIGN
Torre Reforma represents the ongoing evolution of North America’s
most populated city.

Not only does the Torre Reforma serve as a bench march for
sensitive and intuitive design in Mexico, but it embraces historic
preservation, modern architectural design, and sophisticated
environmental feature.

The exterior of the building is built to shelter occupants from the


powerful Mexican sun while allowing daylight to filter the tower
without affecting its internal climate and most importantly
earthquakes.
Interlocking facade and The interlocking concrete facade and structural steel diagrid are
Steel Diagrid. designed to mitigate reverberations (vibrations) from an
earthquake.
Concrete Walls.

The concrete for the walls


was poured very slowly to
create seams between
layers, that serve as
predetermined breaking
points.

They ensure that the


building itself will remain
largely unaffected in the
event of a massive
earthquake.
Windows.

There are windows every four


floors that are three times
higher than the standard size.

This system can dissipate the


seismic energy that, combined
with the elasticity of the
cement, guarantees high
flexibility to the walls, allowing it
to shift in a quake.
Low-intensity Seismic Events:
The coupling beams allow the wall to

COUPLING BEAMS remain firm which limits defections

High-intensity Seismic Events:


The coupling beams yield, which softens
the building and disperses the seismic
energy through controlled and localized
cracking, keeping Torre Reforma’s
occupants safe.
NOITATNESERP ERUTCETIHCRA
CROSS-BRACING Structural cross-bracing sheaths on the
upper levels help to support the tower in
case of an earthquake.
THANK YOU.
Citations
1.Amirtha, Tina. “How to Build Skyscrapers That Can Withstand Earthquakes.” WIRED UK, WIRED UK, 24
Oct.
2016, www.wired.co.uk/article/mexico-skyscrapers-resist-earthquake.

2.Bernoully, Moritz, et al. “Sustainable Earthquake-Resistant Skyscraper Crowned World's Best High-Rise.”
New
Atlas, 5 Nov. 2018, newatlas.com/international-highrise-award-dam-torre-reforma/57081/.

3.Boy, Julieta. Torre Reforma- Building Case Study. CTBUH Journal, 2017 Issue I, 2017,
global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/3282-case-study-torre-reforma-mexico-city.pdf.

4.Brodwin, Erin. “Mexico Is in the Worst Possible Place for Earthquakes - Here's Why It Keeps Getting Hit.”
Business Insider,
Business Insider, 16 Feb. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/why-mexico-earthquakes-science-2018-2.

5. Torre Reforma: Building an Earthquake Proof Skyscraper, www.theb1m.com/video/torre-reforma-


building-
an-earthquake-proof-skyscraper.

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