Title: Haunched Girder Concept for High Rise Office Buildings In Reinforced Concrete

Author(s): Joseph P. Colaco

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 72

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 305-318

Keywords: columns (supports); floors; framing systems; girders; high-rise buildings; joists; moments; office buildings; reinforced concrete; shear properties; structural design.

DOI: 10.14359/6766

Date: 12/1/1981

Abstract:
The "haunched girder" system is a reinforced concrete system used to frame floors in high-rise concrete office buildings. The system consists of conventional pan-joists framing into a girder whose depth is equal to the depth of the joists in the center two-thirds of its span and then the depth of the girder increases toward the columns. The increased depth at the columns, where moments and shears are maximum, reduces both concrete and reinforcing requirements. The shallow depth in the middle helps to reduce the overall volume of the building. The system has been successfully used in office buildings ranging from 10 to 25 stories tall in Houston.