LOAD BEARING RCC SHEAR WALL SYSTEM FOR TALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN INDIA – A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON MINIMUM WALL THICKNESS REQUIREMENTS

Amit Barde

Abstract: Through the last decade, India has seen unprecedented developmental changes with rising standard of living amongst the masses. Significant and sustained increase in housing demand, coupled with considerable shrinkage in skilled workforce, have challenged the construction industry with sizeable shortfall of housing units. The recently announced “Housing for All by 2022” campaign by the Indian Government has also put additional pressure on the construction industry to deliver projects in record time frames. Traditionally, residential houses in major cities of India have been multi-storied high-rise apartments suitable for modular construction. Modular construction using Load Bearing Shear Wall (LBSW) System with rapid construction methodologies such as Aluminium/Tunnel Formwork or Precast Concrete fits perfectly as an alternative for traditional construction with shorter construction duration and reduction in labor, while exceeding quality standards of conventional construction practices in India. Thus, LBSW is system is becoming increasingly popular for several tall buildings projects of Mass Housing in Metro as well as Tier 1 cities. This paper focuses on current guidelines for the minimum wall thickness for LBSW System in terms of structural design and Fire Resistance Rating (FRR). FRR requirements are looked at in more detail as these guidelines govern wall thickness requirements for Tall Buildings in the range of 70 -100 m for LBSW Systems – typical height range for Mass Housing projects. FRR provisions of International Codes are compared to IS Code provisions. In the interest of economical design of LBSW Buildings, it is proposed to adopt international FRR provisions without affecting the design intent and structural integrity of the building.

Keywords: Tall Residential Buildings, Mass Housing, Load Bearing Shear Wall System, Fire Resistance Rating, Minimum Wall Thickness

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2016.0532006