Title: The Cube Tower in Zapopan (Mexico)

Author(s): Bozzo Rotondo, L.

Publication: ACHE

Volume: 56

Issue: 237

Appears on pages(s): 22-Sep

Keywords:

DOI:

Date: 1/5/2005

Abstract:
The CUBE tower is an office building 70 m height, with a total constructed area of 17.000 m2, built in Zapopan, Mexico. From the total area, approximately 10.000 m2 correspond to parking areas and the remaining 7.000 m2 to offices and vertical circulation areas. The private owner, from the beginning, looked for a singular building but keeping the cost on reasonable limits. From the beginning, we coordinated with the architect the optimal structural shape, maintaining the aesthetic concept of three office modules linked together by the services nucleus. The challenge was to build, in a high seismic intensity zone, a building with many irregularities in plan and in height. The whole building is supported only on three macro-columns or concrete nuclei that are also used as vertical circulation elements. The long cantilevers, up to 10 m, together with up to 22 m slab spans were solved by massive use of postensioning and innovating steel wall beams. This solution provided diaphanous plants and very high length/thickness relations (only L/55 for simple supported elements). Average steel densities were only 3,3 kg/m2 for prestressing steel and 10 kg/m2 for deformed bars.