A structural system for resisting lateral forces, combining the ductility of a moment-resisting frame with the rigidity of a shear wall

A structural system for resisting lateral forces, combining the ductility of a moment-resisting frame with the rigidity of a braced frame

A horizontal diaphragm having a large cutout or open area, or a stiffness significantly less than that of the story above or below

A structural system having lateral force-resisting elements neither parallel nor symmetrical about the major orthogonal axes of the system

A story having a lateral strength significantly less than that of the stories above

A story having a lateral stiffness significantly less than that of the stories above

A story having an effective mass significantly greater than that of an adjacent story

A shear wall having a large offset or a significant change in horizontal dimension

A tube structure having perimeter shear walls with less than 30% of the surface area perforated by openings

A tube structure having closely spaced perimeter columns rigidly connected by deep spandrel beams

A framed tube structure tied together by a system of diagonal braces

A braced tube structure having trussed wall frames of widely spaced columns tied together by diagonal or cross bracing

A braced tube structure having perimeter frames of closely spaced diagonals with no vertical columns

An assembly of narrow tubes tied directly to each other to form a modular structure that behaves like a multi-cellular box girder cantilevering out of the ground

A tube structure having an inner braced tube added to the perimeter tube to improve its shear stiffness in resisting lateral forces

An interior service core braced to provide additional stiffness in resisting lateral forces

The damping that naturally occurs as a building undergoes elastic or plastic deformation

The shaping of a tall building to create turbulence which generates cross-wind lift to oppose cross-wind deflections during high winds

Irregular motion of the atmosphere characterized by up-and-down currents

Isolating the base of a building from the ground with damping mechanisms to allow the superstructure to float as a rigid body and alter the natural period of vibration of the structure so that it is different from that of the ground, thus preventing destructive resonances from occurring

A high-rise structure having perimeter lateral force-resisting systems internally braced by rigid floor diaphragms

Acts as a cantilevered box beam in resisting lateral forces

To cause a decrease in amplitude of successive oscillations or waves

Any of various viscoelastic devices typically installed at structural joints to absorb the energy generated by wind or earthquake forces, progressively diminish or eliminate vibratory or oscillatory motions, and prevent destructive resonances from occurring

A heavy mass mounted on rollers or suspended with cables and attached to the upper portion of a tall building with spring damping mechanisms, having an inertial tendency to remain at rest and thus counteracting and dissipating any building movements

A high-rise structure that resists lateral loads primarily through lateral-force-resisting elements located within the interior of the structure, such as a rigid frame structure of steel or concrete, or a structure braced by a core consisting of braced frames, moment frames, or shear walls constructed into a closed system that acts as a structural tube

A high-rise structure that resists lateral loads primarily through lateral-force-resisting elements located along the perimeter of the structure

A modified braced-tube structure consisting of stacked triangulated prisms containing diagonals that connect the exterior with the interior frame

A high-rise structure that utilizes megacolumns, which comprise the chords of oversized braced frames at the building corners, linked by multi-story trusses at 15- to 20-story intervals

Also called superframe structure

Contraction for diagonal + grid: the exterior lattice-like framework of a building created by crisscrossing diagonal members