Building Mexico's "Earthquake Proof" Skyscraper | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Building a 246-meter skyscraper in Mexico City's earthquake zone presented engineering challenges, but it now stands as the city's tallest building.

Key Insights

• 🤒 The Torre Reforma is Mexico City's tallest building, standing at 246 meters.
• 😑 The tower's design incorporates elements of pre-Hispanic and colonial Mexican architecture, such as concrete chamfering and a triangular footprint.
• 🏗️ Construction of the skyscraper required physically moving a historic house and incorporating it into the building's lobby.
• 😁 The use of reinforced concrete sheer walls and coupling beams helps dissipate seismic energy, making it more resistant to earthquakes.
• 👻 Triple height windows were installed to allow the walls to bend under stress without breaking.
• 😤 The engineering team used historical earthquake data and statistical and physical earthquake models to simulate the building's response to different magnitudes of quake.
• 🧡 The Torre Reforma is expected to withstand the full range of predicted earthquake activity in Mexico City over the next 2,500 years.

Transcript

the Tory reformer has recently become mexico city's tallest building but constructing a skyscraper in an earthquake zone is far from easy so how was it done the 246 meter tower designed by lbr and de architects and engineered by arab is situated on paseo de la reforma a wide avenue that runs through the city's urban center looking toward the 686 he... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How tall is the Torre Reforma and what does it contain?

The Torre Reforma stands at 246 meters and houses commercial offices, sports facilities, bars, restaurants, and retail units across 57 stories.

Q: How was the construction of the skyscraper affected by the earthquake zone?

Being in an earthquake zone presented engineering challenges, but the use of reinforced concrete sheer walls and coupling beams help dissipate seismic energy and triple height windows allow the walls to bend under stress without breaking.

Q: What was the significant engineering challenge faced during construction?

The significant engineering challenge was designing a skyscraper that could withstand the full range of predicted earthquake activity over the next 2,500 years in Mexico City, which required extensive research and data simulation.

Q: How was the historic house incorporated into the skyscraper?

The historic house originally constructed in 1929 was physically moved out of the way during construction and then slid back into position, now serving as part of the Torre Reforma's lobby.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Torre Reforma is Mexico City's tallest building, standing at 246 meters, and houses commercial offices, sports facilities, and retail units across 57 stories.

• The skyscraper's design draws inspiration from pre-Hispanic and colonial Mexican architecture, using concrete chamfering and a triangular footprint.

• To construct the tower, a historic house was physically moved and then slid back into position after underpinning works created a new reinforced concrete base for the skyscraper.