Wind and Structures
Volume 42, Number 2, 2026, pages 143-166
DOI: 10.12989/was.2026.42.2.143
Cost-based VS sustainability-based optimal design of steel tall buildings under wind
A. Giovania , M. Franciolib , M. De Angelisc , F. Petrini
Abstract
This paper focuses on the topic of structural optimization applied to the case of tall steel buildings
subjected to wind action. A detailed study is conducted exploring how structural optimization can be applied in an
automated manner using programming software (MatlabR). The primary objective is to analyze how the
configuration of a tall building changes due to the structural optimization process, and in particular by referring to
different objective functions. In particular, three different objective functions are taken into account: total structural
steel volume, total structural cost and total CO2 emissions produced by steel production. The optimization is carried
out taking into account the results of the structural analysis for both the along-wind and across-wind directions,
ensuring the fulfilment of predefined performance levels to guarantee safety and comfort for users. The objective
functions also consider the detailed contribution of the connections, thus providing a detailed evaluation of both costs
and emissions as a function of these components. The procedure is applied to a case study 40-storey case study steel
building for which the incidence of the connections on the total volume, cost, or CO2 emission is evaluated.
Key Words
bolted connections; CO2 emissions; costs; structural optimization; tall buildings; wind
Address
- A. Giovania — Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome Italy
- M. Franciolib — Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome Italy
- M. De Angelisc — Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome Italy
- F. Petrini — Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome Italy
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