Cost Effectiveness of UHPC Ductile Coupled Shear Walls for High-Rise Buildings in UAE Subjected to Seismic Loading

The advantages of using UHPC in the LFRS of 60-story modern office buildings are investigated. Commercial ETABS is used to design four 60-story buildings using 60 MPa conventional concrete and 150, 185, and 220 MPa UHPC focusing on evaluating the seismic performance and economic advantages of both buildings. The LFRS consists of special shear walls coupled with spandrel beams while the gravity consists of square columns and flat plates. The results indicated that 150MPa and 185MPa UHPC present favorable economic advantages and improved overall seismic performance when compared to 60MPa concrete, however, the increase from 185MPa to 220MPa did not yield any significant benefits in terms of cost savings and seismic performance in this study.