A new computational model developed by researchers at MIT takes ambient vibrations and analyzes them to pick out features in the noise to give indications of a building’s stability, MIT News reports. The feedback can then be used to monitor the building for damage or mechanical stress. Think of it as getting your blood pressure or cholesterol checked regularly to find warning signs of future problems before they become too dire.
The model is being tested on the tallest building on the MIT campus, the 21-story Green Building, a research building made of reinforced concrete. The researchers attached 36 accelerometers to selected floors from the building’s foundation to its roof to record vibrations.
But in order for these recordings to actually serve a purpose, the team needed to figure out how to take the data and link it to the health characteristics of the building, according to Oral Buyukozturk, a professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Their solution was to create a computer simulation of the Green Building as a finite element model. MIT News describes this type of model as “a numerical simulation that represents a large physical structure, and all its underlying physics, as a collection of smaller, simpler subdivisions.” The researchers then added parameters to the model, such as the strength and density of concrete walls, slabs, beams, and stairs in each floor.
With all of this done, the researchers are able to then add something like the vibration caused by a passing truck to the simulation in order to see how the model predicts the building and its elements would respond. To make the model as accurate as possible, data from the Green Building's accelerometers was mined and analyzed for key features relating to the building’s stiffness and other indicators of health.
The more data that is added over time, the more intelligent the system becomes. The researchers say they are confident that any real life damage in the building will show up in the system.
This type of model will be especially useful to immediately see, after an event such as an earthquake, if and where there is damage to the building.
The researchers’ vision is for a system such as this to be outfitted on all tall buildings, making them intelligent enough to monitor their own health and provide increased resiliency.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
Owen Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Officials at Michigan State University’s East Lansing Campus were concerned that Owen Hall, a mid-20th-century residence facility, was no longer attracting much interest from its target audience, graduate and international students.
| Oct 12, 2010
Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Gartner Auditorium was originally designed by Marcel Breuer and completed, in 1971, as part of his Education Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Despite that lofty provenance, the Gartner was never a perfect music venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cell and Genome Sciences Building, Farmington, Conn.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 11, 2010
HGA wins 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota
HGA Architects and Engineers won a 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota for the Willow Lake Laboratory.
| Oct 11, 2010
MBMA Releases Fire Resistance Design Guide for metal building systems
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces the release of the 2010 Fire Resistance Design Guide for Metal Building Systems. The guide provides building owners, architects, engineers, specifiers, fire marshals, building code officials, contractors, product vendors, builders and metal building manufacturers information on how to effectively meet fire resistance requirements of a project with metal building systems.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
