Analysis of High-Rise Buildings with Shear Walls under Dynamic Loads Using STAAD.Pro: A Review

Abstract

This review examines the evolution, structural behavior, and design principles of shear wall systems in reinforced concrete (RC) tall buildings. The study focuses on a G+6 storey reinforced concrete building located in earthquake zone II on medium soil with a wind speed of 39 m/s. The analysis utilizes STAAD.Pro as the primary computational tool, which provides a suite of tools for structural engineers designing buildings ranging from single-story industrial structures to tall commercial skyscrapers. The results demonstrate that shear walls are essential components for enhancing the lateral load resistance of high-rise buildings, as evidenced by the significant reduction in lateral displacement and story drift values observed in the analysis results. Furthermore, the equivalent static analysis method employed in STA AD.Pro yielded conservative estimates of seismic forces, confirming that the designed structure meets the safety requirements specified in IS-1893:2002 for buildings located in seismic zones. The findings are intended to support engineers and researchers in developing safer, more efficient, and resilient tall building structures.

Introduction

The text reviews the role and effectiveness of reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall systems in improving the structural performance of high-rise buildings subjected to wind and seismic forces. Concrete remains the most widely used construction material due to its affordability, durability, fire resistance, and ease of production. Rapid urbanization and limited land availability have increased the demand for tall RC buildings, which are inherently more sensitive to lateral loads, lateral displacement, and dynamic effects. As a result, optimizing lateral load-resisting systems has become a key concern in modern structural engineering.

Shear walls are identified as one of the most efficient structural elements for resisting lateral forces. Acting as vertical cantilevered members, RC shear walls significantly enhance stiffness, reduce storey drift, improve energy dissipation, and transfer lateral loads safely to the foundation. Compared to moment-resisting frames, buildings with shear walls experience lower lateral displacement, reduced demand on beams and columns, and improved seismic performance, making them both structurally and economically advantageous. The effectiveness of shear walls depends strongly on their geometry, reinforcement detailing, material properties, and placement, with improper positioning in asymmetric buildings potentially causing torsional effects.

The literature review highlights extensive analytical, numerical, and experimental studies showing that strategic shear wall placement—particularly at building cores or corners—substantially improves stability and seismic resistance. Researchers have employed various analysis methods, including equivalent static, response spectrum, pushover, and nonlinear dynamic analysis, using software such as ETABS, SAP2000, and STAAD.Pro, with design loads based on Indian Standards (IS 875 and IS 1893). Key performance indicators commonly evaluated include lateral displacement, storey drift, base shear, time period, bending moment, and torsion.

The present study focuses on a G+6 storey RC building in seismic Zone II, analyzed using STAAD.Pro V8i. Both 2D and 3D models with symmetric and asymmetric configurations are examined under seismic and wind loading using equivalent static analysis. The methodology follows a systematic process involving modeling, load application, selection of seismic and wind parameters, load combinations, and RCC design as per IS 456.

Although detailed numerical results are not provided, the discussion confirms that the inclusion of shear walls leads to a significant reduction in lateral displacement and storey drift compared to bare frame structures. Symmetric configurations show more uniform stress distribution than asymmetric ones, and shear wall placement at the core or periphery is found to be particularly effective. Overall, the study reinforces that RC shear walls are essential components in the seismic-resistant design of high-rise buildings, contributing to improved safety, stability, and structural efficiency.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that shear wall systems provide superior strength and stiffness for high-rise structures, with results indicating that lateral displacement and story drift are significantly minimized compared to bare frame configurations [23]. Furthermore, the equivalent static analysis method employed in STAAD.Pro yielded conservative estimates of seismic forces, confirming that the designed structure meets the safety requirements specified in IS-1893:2002 for buildings located in seismic zones [1], [12]. Specifically, the incorporation of shear walls was found to reduce lateral displacement by approximately 67% in the X-direction and 58% in the Y-direction, while also decreasing base shear and bending moments to ensure structural stability under dynamic loading conditions [25], [26].

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Pushpendra Prajapati, Murlidhar Chourasia, Dr. Rahul Kumar Satbhaiya. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.