Key Considerations for the Attachment

of Facades to Structures
James Parker, PE, SE
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.

www.FindYourTechnology.com

AISC Design Guide 22

University of Massachusetts Medical Center

Design Guide Objective

Todays Agenda

To assist the practicing engineer in achieving

slab edge and spandrel beam details for
steel frames that are:
 Structurally

1.
2.

sound

3.

 Durable

4.

 Economical
 Accommodating

5.

of faade requirements

6.
7.

Fundamentals of Faade Performance

Design Criteria
Roles and Responsibilities
Tolerances
Slab Edges
Spandrel Beams
Masonry Veneer, PC Panels, Aluminum
Curtain Walls

Three Key Take-Aways

1.

2.

3.

The design team needs to develop a

strategy for faade attachment and the
SER has a role in its development.
The current ASCE 7 and IBC have
explicit criteria for faade attachments
especially for seismic considerations.
The faade attachment strategy chosen
by the team will affect the design of slab
edges and spandrel beams.
11

10

Fundamentals of Faade Performance

The building envelope encloses the building,

controlling the transmission of air, water, heat,
sound, and light both into and out of the building.

12

The Faade and the Building Envelope

Fundamentals of Faade Performance

roofing

windows
walls
all interfaces
doors

Reservoir
Reservoir

Barrier
Barrier

Cavity
Cavity

foundations
13

14

1250 B.C.

430 B.C.

530 A.D.

Time Line
Contemporary Curtain Walls
Load Bearing Masonry

Transitional Masonry
2000

1000 B.C.

1000 A.D.

2000

Load Bearing Masonry

2000

1000 B.C.

1000 A.D.

2000

1220 to
1472
A.D.

1796

15
16

Load Bearing Masonry

Walls are Thick
Walls Support all Loads
Floor Rides with Walls

17

Load Bearing Masonry

Walls Functions
as a Reservoir

18

Time Line
Transitional Masonry

Transitional Masonry Buildings

2000

1000 B.C.

1000 A.D.

2000
1890

19

Transitional Masonry Buildings

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

20

Transitional Masonry Buildings

Masonry Walls Still

Thick

Floor & Wall Loads
Carried by
Structural Frame

Wall Still Functions
as a Reservoir

21

22

23

24

1950

Contemporary Curtain Walls

Time Line

Contemporary Curtain Walls

2000

1000 B.C.

1000 A.D.

2000

1918

1950

1960

1970

25

1980

1990

2000

26

Contemporary Curtain Walls

Contemporary Curtain Walls

Skin and Frame

Detailed to
Accommodate
Differential Movement

Floor Loads Carried

by Frame
Skin Transfers Wind
Loads to the Frame
Skin Employs a
Drainage Plane and
Back-up
Waterproofing

27

28

Functional Components of the Exterior

Wall System

Cladding
Joints
Insulation
Water barriers and air
barriers
Structure
Interior finishes

29

Concepts for Control of Water

Infiltration

Barrier Walls
Internal Drainage
Planes
Cavity Walls
PE Rain Screens

30

Barrier Walls

Internal Drainage Planes

Still used today

 Old

EIFS
 GFRC panels
 Precast wall panels
(but a bit of a reservoir
too.)

Stucco
Drainable EIFS
Wood siding

31

Cavity Walls

32

Pressure Equalized Rain

Screens

Brick veneer
Stone veneer

Terracotta cladding
Stone cladding
Metal panel cladding

33

Problems Associated with Support

and Anchorage

Anchors or support clips interrupt the flashing or

water barrier without proper repair.
Anchors causing conditions of poor drainage.
Anchors not stiff enough to prevent differential
movement that tears barriers.
Damage to barriers during erection and
installation.
Constructability issues, coordination of trade
issues.
35

34

General Design Criteria

Faade/Wall System Criteria

1.
2.
3.

structural integrity;
provisions for movement; and
envelope performance.
36

Conflicting Ideas

Primary Criteria for Attachment

Structural Integrity
Accommodating Movement

Durability

Accounting for Tolerances and Clearances

Constructability

Economy

38

37

Structural Integrity

Example Resources
(there are others)

Building codes

 2006

IBC
 ASCE 7-05

Faade Trade
Associations
 AAMA,

Aluminum
Curtain Walls for
example

Material Standards/
Organizations

 AISC

Papers, Texts
Redundancy

 PCI

Ductility

 ACI
 BIA

Strength

 TMS

40

39

Gravity Loads

Gravity Load Eccentricities

Faade dead load

 Need

to understand
materials and system

Faade live loads

SER usually needs to

estimate before wall
is designed.
Window washing
activities.

 Horizontal

projections

41

42

Wind Loads

Wind Loads

Wind tunnel testing

44

43

Wind Loads

Seismic Requirements

Negative pressures
combined with gravity
eccentricities often
control attachment
design.

1.
2.
3.

Seismic Forces
Relative Displacements
Ductility

45

Seismic Loads

46

Seismic Loads

47

48

Seismic Loads

Seismic Loads

49

Seismic Loads

50

Seismic Loads

51

Seismic Loads

52

Seismic Loads

53

54

Seismic Loads

Relative Seismic Displacement

55

56

Forces from Restraint

Relative Seismic Displacement

Best to avoid restraint

This bolt
altogether.
fractured and
Predicting restraint panel fell.
forces inexact.

Bldg. Exp. Joint

 Cracking
 Creep
 Attachment

stiffness.

Watch out for

inadvertent restraint.

Slotted Insert
Panel Joint

58

57

Accommodating Relative Movement

Accommodating Relative Movement

Spandrel deflections,
Spandrel rotations,
Column shortening,
Bracket deflections,
Inter-story dirft,
Faade thermal,
Faade moisture,
Faade deformation
due to forces.
59

60

Accommodating Relative Movement

Accommodating Relative Movement

Rules of thumb and code provisions for

flexural stiffness control faade material
cracking.
 L/360;

Joint criteria may control

example:
Say inch joint; allowable
movement of inch, M=.33
 Say thermal and moisture is
1/8 inch; leaving 1/8 inch for
structural movement.
 Say design load movement
from 50% LL; then 100% LL
allowable movement =
inch.
 This is L/960 and L/1440 on
20 ft and 30 ft spans,
respectively.


L/600; etc.

61

62

Add slide of protruding sealant

Accommodating Relative Movement

Inter-story Drift from Lateral Loads

Common drift limits:
 Wind

H/400 (.0025H); or H/500 (.002H)

 Seismic

.025 H (10 times wind!)

For a 12 ft story height:

 Wind

0.36 inches (but not less than )

3.6 inches

 Seismic
63

64

Accommodating Relative Movement

Accommodating Relative Movement

65

66

Inter-Story Drift: Corners

Limit States

Code prescribed forces for safety:

 50

yr. recurrence interval for wind

yr. recurrence interval for seismic

 475

Attachments must safely accommodate

forces.

Joints must prevent hazardous damage;
falling hazards.

67

68

Shear and Flexural Deformations

Limit States
Serviceability checks may allow lower
forces and drifts; for example joint sealant
movements.

ASCE 7-02 Commentary suggest: D +
0.5L + 0.7W

 0.05

annual probability of being exceeded.

probability of being exceeded in 25 yrs.
 0.92 probability of being exceeded in 50 yrs.
 0.72

69

Tolerances and Clearances

70

Durability of the Attachment

Tolerances:
amount of deviation from a
specified criterion: dimension, shape, location.

 Permissible

Clearances:

 Space

purposely provided between two parts

to allow for movement, accommodate
tolerances and provide access.

71

Attachments are usually hard to

inspect.
Consider what happens if the
wall leaks.
Consider how likely the wall is to
leak over time.
Special attention to thin steel
parts or steel fasteners.

72

Constructability and Economy

Summary of Criteria

For Attachments:
 Structural

Integrity
Movement

 Accommodating
 Durability
 Accounting

for Tolerances and Clearances

and Economy

 Constructability

73

74

Responsibilities for Faade

Attachments for New Buildings

Responsibilities

SER (Structural Engineer of Record)

 For

this presentation, we mean the design

professional responsible for the structural
design of the primary building structure.

Owner
Architect
SER
SSE

Fabricator, Erector
CM, GC
Faade Contractor(s)

SSE (Specialty Structural Engineer)

 For

this presentation, we mean the design

professional responsible for the structural
design of the faade and/or faade
attachments to the primary structure.

75

Responsibility

76

Responsibility

The design of the faade elements and

their attachments are often NOT in the
scope of the SER responsible for the
primary building frame.
 Yet

the SER must understand the faade

system and the strategy for attachment to
design the primary structure.

77

The performance specified elements

including attachments will often be
designed by the SSE working for the
contractor (but could part of the design
team).
 The

SSE may not become involved until after

the frame is designed, even fabricated, and
even erected!
78

SER

SER

Its in the projects and SERs best interest

to consult with the Architect about faade
attachments.

Provides anticipated structural
movements.

Designs frame and slab edge consistent
with attachment strategy.

Structural drawings/specifications
 Delineate

the structural elements from the attachment

items by the SSE.
 Indicate the assumptions/limitations of the locations
and magnitudes of the faade attachment loads.
 Indicate the fabrication and erection tolerances of the
frame.
 Provides sufficient adjustability in structural frame
details for faade attachment strategy chosen.

79

80

Story-tall PC
Panel Example

Masonry
Veneer
Example

Arch.
SSE
Arch.

SER

SER

SER
SSE
SSE
81

82

Column Supported PC Spandrel

Panel Example
SSE

SER
SSE

Curtain Wall
Example

SSE

SSE

SER
SER
SER

SSE 83

84

Accommodating Construction
Tolerances and Clearances

Summary

Communicate!
Faade attachments are difficult because
every member of the design team has a
significant role in the planning, designing
and coordination.

University of Southern Indiana

Adjustability must be provided between the

structural details and faade attachment details
to achieve a faade erected within acceptable
tolerances relative to the theoretical plane.
86

85

Tolerances and Clearances

Tolerances:

Material Production Tolerances

Fabrication and Assembly Tolerances

Erection and Installation Tolerances

Accumulated Tolerances

 Permissible

amount of deviation from a

specified criterion: dimension, shape, location.

Types of Tolerances

Clearances:
 Space

purposely provided between two parts

to allow for movement, accommodate
tolerances and provide access.

The
TheAISC
AISC Design
DesignGuide
Guideincludes
includes summaries
summaries
of
of major
majorfaade
faadematerials
materials and
andcomponents.
components.

87

Accumulated Tolerances
Unlikely that all tolerances will vary to the
maximum allowed and all occur in the
same direction.

However, no statistical data is usually
available to the designer about the
distribution of variation.

89

88

Recommendations for Accumulated

Tolerances

Understand the sources of variability.

Understand the consequence of exceeding the
tolerance provisions in the details.
Understand the costs associated with providing
means to accommodate the variability.
For each project, the team should develop a
design criteria for addressing faade
accumulated tolerances.
90

Slab Edge Conditions

Factors that Influence the Design

The slab edge detail is an important

consideration when designing for faade
attachments.

Type, weight and

location of faade
Amount of slab
overhang
Slab or deck capacity
Application of faade
loads
Similar conditions (or
not)

91

Two Fundamental Approaches

The slab or deck

cantilevers and picks
up load.

The designer does

not count on the slab
or deck to carry loads.

92

Approach 1: Slab Cantilever Resolves

Eccentricity

Approach 1

Approach 2

93

Design of Slab Overhang

95

94

Design of Slab Overhang

96

Approach 2: Slab Cantilever Does Not

Resolve Eccentricity

Kickers
1

97

98

Design of Steel Spandrel Beams

Roll Beams

The design of the spandrel beam is more than

selecting a wide flange shape that meets flexural
strength and stiffness criteria.
100

99

General Design Considerations

Flexural Strength

General Design Considerations

 Composite

or
Noncomposite?
 Part of a Moment
Frame?
 Any weak axis
bending?

Flexural Stiffness
 Precomposite

DL
DL

 Post-composite

Faade load
Superimposed DL

 Superimposed

LL
vibrations
 Creep, long-term
 Weak axis loads
 Floor

101

102

General Design Considerations

General Design Considerations

Torsion?
 Resolved

at columns?

Connection to
Columns

 Kickers?

 Simple

 Roll

 Special

shear?
copes, non
standard?
 Horizontal forces?
 Torsional forces?

beams?
 Rotation and projected
translations?

103

General Design Considerations

104

General Design Considerations

Spandrel dimensions

Centerline location

 Depth

 Column

 Flange

 Minimize

connections?
faade
eccentricities?
 Clearances for
adjustments?

width
 Flange thickness
 Project consistency

105

Deflection and Movement Limitations

106

Designing for Torsion

Curvature
 L/360,

L/400, L/600,

etc.

Absolute magnitude
for joints
Must consider rotation
as well as vertical
deformations

107

108

Kickers remove torsion

109

110

Kickers reduce torsion

torsion in spandrel between
kickers.
Roll beam reduces torsion.
Torsion in spandrel between
roll beam and columns.

111

112

Design approaches

Design approaches

Detailed guidance on
torsional stresses and
rotations of bare steel
wide-flange shapes.
Rotation about center
of shape.

113

114

Center of Rotation

Slab Resisting Torsion

115

116

Effects of Rotation at Slab

Modified Flexural Analogy

117

118

Appendix A Study

Conditions with Torsion

Three models
 FEM
 Modified
 Modified

Two spans
 10
 30

DG #9
Flex. Analogy

ft
ft

Two load shapes

 Concentrated
 Uniform

119

120

Options for Increasing Rotation Resistance

Masonry Cavity Walls

The strategy for supporting masonry cavity walls

starts with the decision for the location of the
horizontal movement joints.

122

121

Volume Change

Good Movement Joints

123

124

Movement Joints
Strategies: Punched
Openings

Elevation

125

126

Strategies:
Strip Windows

Strategies:
Shelf at Slab

Elevation

Elevation

127

128

Vertical Movements

Top of Wall Connections

Design
DesignVertical
Vertical
Movements
Movements

Note: Column shortening is important too for tall

buildings bottom story.
129

Plan Locations Of Hangers

130

Potential Problems
Inadequate provisions for the shelf angle
adjustment cause the masonry to have too
little bearing on the shelf angle.

Inadequate provisions for the shelf angle
adjustment cause the masonry cavity to be
too wide for the specified masonry ties.

Flashing design does not accommodate
projection of bolts or fasteners into the
cavity at the shelf angle.

131

132

Potential Problems

Inadequate soft joint size causes over

compression of sealant so that it bulges out.
Inadequate clearance between the bottom of the
shelf angle and the top of the masonry veneer
results in bearing of the shelf angle onto the
masonry due to spandrel deflections.
Support details for the shelf angles at corners
and atypical conditions are not clearly
documented in the design.

Precast Concrete Wall Panels

The most important strategy for support of

precast concrete panels is to support the weight
of each panel on no more than two points.

134

133

General Description

135

Seismic Forces

Strategies For Support

136

Field Adjustability

137

138

Fire Safing

Potential Problems

Approved materials
Securely installed
Prevents passage of
flame and hot gases.

Erection sequence: brackets, blockouts,

and embedment plate coordination.

Cantilevers without sufficient stiffness
which may deflect or rotate significantly
during erection.

Division of responsibilities for designing
and providing attachment and support
components.

139

140

Potential Problems

Potential Problems

Joints in architectural elevations are not

coordinated with the points of load
application to the primary structure as
anticipated by the SER.

Attachment details by the SSE designing
the attachments are such that the precast
panels deliver moments or otherwise load
the primary structure with eccentric loads
not anticipated by the SER designing the
primary structure.

Kickers that resolve eccentricity apply

loads to lightweight roof elements, such as
bar joists, which are not designed for the
kicker loads and this result in unexpected
rotations and flexibility of the precast
support.

Tie back connections are attached to clip
angles fastened to the bottom of the
bottom flange of spandrel beams without
consideration to the effects on the
spandrel beam.

141

142

Aluminum Curtain Walls

Strategies for Support

Often the most important part of the aluminum

curtain wall design is anchorage adjustability to
the base building structure.

143

Easily accessible attachments

Adjustability
Limit eccentricity
Block-outs of fire proofing
Factory drilled bolt holes in curtain wall
Welded field connections

144

Strategies for Support

Movement

Critical to performance
4 to 5 times frame
temperatures
L/175 common design
for out-of-plane
L/360 common design
for in-plane

146

145

Field Adjustability

Field Adjustability

147

Attachments

148

Potential Problems

149

Large gaps between the anchors and the primary

building structure can result in excessive bending
stresses.
Coordination of locations for adjustment If vertical and
horizontal adjustments are to be made solely in the
attachments of the curtain wall system to the primary
building structure, slotted holes must be long enough to
account for all of the required adjustment.
If the curtain wall designer is relying on adjustments
being made through the primary building structure rather
than his attachments, the slotted holes that are provided
may be inadequate in length.
150

Key Take-Aways

Potential Problems

1.

Coordination of bolted attachments to the

primary building structure. Locations of bolt
holes for curtain wall attachment should be
coordinated with the steel fabricator so that
holes can be made in the shop. Holes should
not be burned in the field.
Mullion splices (responsibility of the SSE)
should properly account for volume changes and
movement of the primary building structure.

2.

3.

4.

The design team needs to develop a strategy, or

strategies, for supporting the faade elements from the
primary frame.
Given this strategy, the team needs to communicate
responsibilities and scope.
The SER needs to know the faade attachment strategy
and needs enough information from the faade designer
to anticipate the impact on the primary frame.
The SER needs to communicate the relevant frame
performance characteristics (principally deformations).

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151

Key Take-Aways
5.

6.

7.

Questions?

The SER should strive to develop slab edge and spandrel

beam designs that are consistent with the faade
attachment strategy.
Tolerances, faade movements and frame movements
need to be considered in total. Strategy and
responsibility need to be clearly communicated and
accepted.
The SERs documents for the primary structure should
indicate pertinent assumptions about faade attachment
loads.

153