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Buildings
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Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures
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Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 12488

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pengcheng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: light-weight structurals; aluminum structure; prestressed structurals; intelligent construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
Interests: structural optimization; prestressed steel structure; spatial structure; intelligent construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern building structures face higher requirements in terms of performance, economy, environmental protection, and other aspects. With the technology developments and innovation in recent decades, novel structural systems are constantly emerging, the analysis and design methods of building structures are constantly improving, and structural performance is also improving. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence technology-assisted building structures are emerging as a highly researched field and have shown broad prospects in building structures. For these reasons, it is crucial to explore the developments and implementations of new materials, structures, methods and technologies in the wide realm of building structures. The main theme of this Special Issue of Buildings on “Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures” will focus on the recent challenges and developments in building structures. Topics of interest include. but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel steel/aluminium alloy structural systems;
  • Structural optimization methods;
  • Prestressed structures;
  • High-performance concrete materials and structures;
  • Intelligent approach in structural analysis and design;
  • Intelligent construction;
  • Novel structural materials;
  • Structural health monitoring.

Dr. Pengcheng Li
Dr. Hao Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • building structures
  • novel structural systems
  • novel structural materials
  • structural analysis
  • structural design
  • structural optimization
  • intelligent construction

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4612 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influence of Bearing Plate Position on the Uplift Bearing Capacity of Low-Header CEP Single-Pile Foundations
by Yongmei Qian, Deshun Qi, Yu Mou, Xihui Wang, Ziyu Wang, Lin Sun and Zhongwei Ma
Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1353; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081353 - 18 Apr 2025
Viewed by 213
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of the bearing plate position on the uplift bearing capacity of low-header concrete expanded pile (CEP) foundations using the ANSYS finite element simulation method. Nine models of low-header CEP single piles with varying bearing plate positions are constructed. [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact of the bearing plate position on the uplift bearing capacity of low-header concrete expanded pile (CEP) foundations using the ANSYS finite element simulation method. Nine models of low-header CEP single piles with varying bearing plate positions are constructed. Incremental loading is applied to obtain relevant data, including load–displacement curves for vertical tensile forces, displacement contours, and shear stress distributions. The study analyzes the characteristics of load–displacement curves under different loading conditions, the axial force distribution along the pile shaft, the failure state of the surrounding soil, and how the uplift bearing capacity varies with changes in the bearing plate position. Based on the findings, a calculation model for the uplift bearing capacity of low-header CEP single-pile foundations is proposed. Given that the uplift bearing capacity decreases to varying degrees depending on the bearing plate position, the slip-line theory from previous studies is applied to refine the corresponding calculation formula for uplift bearing capacity. The results from the ANSYS finite element simulation confirm that the bearing plate position significantly influences the uplift bearing performance of low-header CEP single-pile foundations. The uplift bearing capacity increases with the distance between the bearing plate and the low header, reaching a peak before decreasing beyond a certain threshold. Considering the influence of the bearing plate position on bearing capacity, the affected area of soil beneath the foundation, and the time required for the system to enter its working state, the optimal bearing plate position is found to be at a distance of d1 = 4R0 to 5R0 from the top of the pile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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23 pages, 6783 KiB  
Article
Influences and Optimizations of Vertical Facades on the Aerodynamic Loadings for High-Rise Buildings
by Xu Cheng, Guoqing Huang, Bowen Yan, Qingshan Yang, Chao Wang, Bo Li and Shuguo Liang
Buildings 2025, 15(7), 1093; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15071093 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 309
Abstract
The architectural facade, including balconies, vertical frames, and sunshades, is widely installed on the surfaces of high-rise buildings, and will affect the wind load and airflow around the buildings. However, current studies mainly focus on local wind pressure, with limited research on aerodynamic [...] Read more.
The architectural facade, including balconies, vertical frames, and sunshades, is widely installed on the surfaces of high-rise buildings, and will affect the wind load and airflow around the buildings. However, current studies mainly focus on local wind pressure, with limited research on aerodynamic forces and a lack of optimization design methods for vertical facades. This paper investigates the aerodynamic effects of different vertical facade layouts on high-rise buildings through wind tunnel experiments. Subsequently, CFD simulations were performed on 120 generated models. By combining neural networks and genetic algorithms, this paper optimized the aerodynamics of the vertical facades on a high-rise building, analyzed the flow field around the building, and provided reference for the aerodynamic optimization design of vertical facades on high-rise building facades. The results show that vertical facades could reduce the base shear forces and overturning moments of tall buildings, and the mean drag coefficient can be reduced by up to 31%, and the RMS value of lateral force coefficient by 57%, through the aerodynamic optimization. Through the analysis of flow fields around tall buildings, the “chamfer” formed by the vertical facades and the building corner is attributed as the main reason for reducing the aerodynamic forces of tall buildings. Furthermore, the negative resistance on vertical facades caused by the adverse pressure gradient is another major factor for reducing the mean value of aerodynamic force. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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21 pages, 20937 KiB  
Article
Shear Elastic Buckling and Resistant Behavior of Single-Side-Stiffened Steel Corrugated Shear Walls
by Rui-Ze Zhang, Ruo-Min Wu, Ling-Qi Wang, Peng-Peng Fu and Jing-Zhong Tong
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3925; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123925 - 9 Dec 2024
Viewed by 831
Abstract
Stiffened steel corrugated shear walls (SSCSWs) have achieved extensive applications in building structures and serve as efficient lateral force-resisting members. Single-side-stiffened steel corrugated shear walls (SS-SCSWs) are more flexible in terms of their structural configuration compared to conventional SSCSWs because this novel structural [...] Read more.
Stiffened steel corrugated shear walls (SSCSWs) have achieved extensive applications in building structures and serve as efficient lateral force-resisting members. Single-side-stiffened steel corrugated shear walls (SS-SCSWs) are more flexible in terms of their structural configuration compared to conventional SSCSWs because this novel structural member effectively reduces wall thickness and simplifies the construction process. In this paper, numerical analyses were carried out to investigate the shear elastic buckling and resistant behavior of SS-SCSWs. A formula for the equivalent flexural stiffness of single-side stiffeners was given based on theoretical analysis. The elastic buckling and elastoplastic analyses of SS-SCSWs were carried out by finite element (FE) models to determine the value of the equivalent flexural stiffness coefficient. Meanwhile, the elastic and elastoplastic transition stiffness ratios of single-side stiffeners were proposed to predict the minimum stiffness required for the stiffener to provide sufficient constraint. The accuracy of the above formulas was verified by calculating the shear elastic buckling loads, the ultimate shear resistance, and the out-of-plane displacements of the SS-SCSWs. Furthermore, parametric analyses were performed to reveal the influences of the aspect ratio and plate thickness on shear resistance capacity. The equivalent flexural stiffness coefficients in both the elastic and elastoplastic analyses were determined to be 0.45 and 0.7, respectively, through curve fitting. The results indicated that the theory of BS-SCSWs could accurately predict the shear elastic and elastoplastic behavior of SS-SCSWs after modifying its expression for flexural stiffness. Consequently, the modified theoretical formulas were demonstrated to be suitable for SS-SCSWs in practical designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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18 pages, 12642 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Small-Scale Shake Table Testing of Cable-Stiffened Single-Layer Spherical Latticed Shell
by Ying Zhao, Zhiyu Zhang, Yuzhen Chen, Cheng Lu, Yu Zhou, Tianhao Zhang, Pengcheng Li and Gang Xiong
Buildings 2024, 14(6), 1826; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061826 - 15 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
The cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell is an innovative structural design that achieves a perfect balance between lightweight and stability by combining cables and a latticed shell. However, the study on dynamic response and failure mechanism of cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell under seismic action [...] Read more.
The cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell is an innovative structural design that achieves a perfect balance between lightweight and stability by combining cables and a latticed shell. However, the study on dynamic response and failure mechanism of cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell under seismic action is still lacking. Therefore, small-scale shaking table tests of two kinds of single-layer spherical latticed shells are carried out; the dynamic response and failure mode of the two shells under sine wave earthquake are investigated by using time history analysis. The conclusions show that the introduction of the prestressed cable plays an important role in improving the seismic performance of the single-layer latticed shell, and the cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell has better load capacity and seismic performance under earthquake action than the ordinary single-layer latticed shell structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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21 pages, 10566 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Responses of Single-Layer Reticulated Shells under Oblique Impact Loading
by Pengcheng Li, Guohan Chen, Hongxin Lu, Lu Ke, Hao Wang and Bin Jian
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 633; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14030633 - 28 Feb 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1369
Abstract
This paper focuses on the response of reticulated shell structures under oblique impact loads, with a departure from the traditional emphasis on vertical impact loads. These structures are typically utilised in large-span spaces such as iconic buildings and large venues. The study begins [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the response of reticulated shell structures under oblique impact loads, with a departure from the traditional emphasis on vertical impact loads. These structures are typically utilised in large-span spaces such as iconic buildings and large venues. The study begins by establishing a numerical simulation method for reticulated shell structures subjected to oblique impact loads, which is then validated against existing experimental results. Building on this verified method, the research delves into the effects of varying impactor mass, velocity, and initial kinetic energy on the reticulated shell structure under oblique impacts, as well as the influence of different oblique impact angles. The study extensively examines the failure modes of the structure, node displacements in the structure, and variations in member stress under different impactor parameters. It further investigates how these parameters influence the maximum impact bearing capacity, impact duration, energy dissipation capability, and response forms of the structures, analyzing the reasons behind these effects. The findings offer valuable insights for further research and practical engineering design of reticulated shell structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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15 pages, 6298 KiB  
Article
Cyclic Loading Test Conducted on the Bottom Joints of a Hybrid Precast Utility Tunnel Composed of Double-Skin Sidewalls and a Precast Bottom Slab
by Weichen Xue, Shengyang Chen and Qinghua Wang
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020341 - 26 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1283
Abstract
Four full-scale specimens were constructed, including two hybrid precast specimens with a haunch (height: 150 mm, PUT-H) and without a haunch (PUT). Additionally, two cast-in-place (CIP) comparative specimens (referred to as RUT-H and RUT) were included, all of which underwent reversed cyclic loading. [...] Read more.
Four full-scale specimens were constructed, including two hybrid precast specimens with a haunch (height: 150 mm, PUT-H) and without a haunch (PUT). Additionally, two cast-in-place (CIP) comparative specimens (referred to as RUT-H and RUT) were included, all of which underwent reversed cyclic loading. The results showed that the four specimens suffered flexural damage at the ends of the sidewall and displayed similar hysteresis loops shapes. The bearing capacity of the PUT specimen was 2.7% higher than that of the RUT, while the bearing capacity of the PUT-H specimen was 8.5% lower than that of the RUT-H. Additionally, the displacement ductility values of the precast specimens PUT and PUT-H were 2.98 and 2.46, respectively, which are 11.3% and 3.53% lower than those of the corresponding CIP specimens. The haunch increases the local stiffness of the component, exerting a notable influence on the bearing capacity and displacement ductility of the specimens, increasing the bearing capacity by 20% and decreasing the ductility by 21%. Moreover, an assessment conducted using the criteria outlined in ACI 374.1-05 indicated that the four specimens exhibit excellent seismic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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16 pages, 7852 KiB  
Article
Horizontal Deformation Monitoring of Concrete Pile with FRP-Packaged Distributed Optical-Fibre Sensors
by Yongsheng Tang, Mengfei Cao, Bo Li, Xuhui Chen and Zhenyu Wang
Buildings 2023, 13(10), 2454; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102454 - 27 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1349
Abstract
Horizontal deformation is a key parameter in the structural assessment of concrete piles, especially in landslide cases. However, the existing deformation-monitoring methods cannot satisfy the demands of long-term monitoring. Therefore, a new method based on distributed optical-fibre sensing technology is proposed for the [...] Read more.
Horizontal deformation is a key parameter in the structural assessment of concrete piles, especially in landslide cases. However, the existing deformation-monitoring methods cannot satisfy the demands of long-term monitoring. Therefore, a new method based on distributed optical-fibre sensing technology is proposed for the long-term monitoring of the horizontal deformation of concrete piles. First, a distributed long-gauge optical-fibre sensor is embedded into a fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) for the excellent distributed strain measurement of the concrete piles in damage cases, such as concrete cracking and reinforcement yielding. Second, based on the typical Winkler beam model, a calculation theory can be constructed for the horizontal deformation of the concrete piles with the input of the strain measurement. Lastly, the proposed method is verified via finite element simulation and static experiments in a laboratory, and the results show good accuracy. Before the case of reinforcement yielding, the largest measurement error of deformation is about 1 mm. It can be up to several millimetres after reinforcement yielding due to the large gap between the calculation model and the actual structure, while the relative measurement error is only about 10%. Due to the distributed strain measurement, the inside horizontal deformation distribution of the concrete piles can be monitored online with the proposed method to implement a detailed assessment of the pile health. Additionally, considering the excellent long-term performance of FRPs and optical-fibre sensors, the proposed method can be applied for the long-term deformation monitoring of concrete piles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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17 pages, 3384 KiB  
Article
Discussion on Calculation Method of Magnification Factor of Toggle-Brace-Viscous Damper
by Jiewei Xu, Pengfei Ma, Yukun Hu and Jitao Yao
Buildings 2023, 13(8), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13082006 - 6 Aug 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1634
Abstract
At present, dampers are widely used in the field of energy dissipation in engineering structures. However, when the displacement and velocity output of dampers are not significant under small and medium-sized earthquakes, it is difficult for a damper to fully exert its energy [...] Read more.
At present, dampers are widely used in the field of energy dissipation in engineering structures. However, when the displacement and velocity output of dampers are not significant under small and medium-sized earthquakes, it is difficult for a damper to fully exert its energy dissipation capacity. The use of toggle-brace mechanisms in the structure is an effective method to solve the above problems, and the effect of toggle-brace-viscous dampers (referred to as TBVDs) in the structure can be reflected by a magnification factor (referred to as Mf). Therefore, it is particularly important to study the calculation method for the Mf of TBVD. Domestic and foreign scholars have achieved certain results in the study of the calculation method for the Mf of TBVD, and the corresponding calculation formula for the Mf has been proposed. Given the existing research results, this article conducts the following work: analyzing the shortcomings of existing methods for calculating the Mf of TBVD, proposing an improved method for calculating the Mf of viscous dampers, comparing the accuracy of existing and improved algorithms, and analyzing the calculation results to provide practical suggestions for engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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17 pages, 4518 KiB  
Article
Optimization Design for Steel Trusses Based on a Genetic Algorithm
by Pengcheng Li, Xuxiang Zhao, Dangsheng Ding, Xiwei Li, Yanjun Zhao, Lu Ke, Xiaoyue Zhang and Bin Jian
Buildings 2023, 13(6), 1496; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13061496 - 9 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3168
Abstract
Steel trusses are widely utilized in engineering structures, and their optimization is essential for enhancing structural performance and reducing material consumption. Existing optimization methods for steel trusses predominantly rely on the trial-and-error method, which is not only inefficient but also inaccurate. Therefore, this [...] Read more.
Steel trusses are widely utilized in engineering structures, and their optimization is essential for enhancing structural performance and reducing material consumption. Existing optimization methods for steel trusses predominantly rely on the trial-and-error method, which is not only inefficient but also inaccurate. Therefore, this study focused on the optimization of steel trusses using an efficient and accurate optimization methodology. Based on a genetic algorithm and the finite element method, both mono- and multi-parameter optimization designs for steel trusses were executed, an applicable optimization design method for steel trusses was established, and corresponding optimization design programs were developed. The analysis demonstrates that the proposed optimization method effectively optimizes truss height and member cross-section, leading to a significant reduction in material consumption. Compared to the traditional trial-and-error method, the proposed optimization method exhibits adequate calculation accuracy and superior optimization efficiency, thereby providing a robust theoretical foundation for the engineering design of steel trusses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Recent Developments in Building Structures)
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