Architecture-structure conception in the design and performance analysis of the CCBB Building in Brasilia

Abstract

<jats:p>The Presidente Tancredo Neves building, which has housed the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Brasilia since 2000, is one of the iconic works by architect Oscar Niemeyer, designed in 1992. In the architecture of the building stand out the facades composed of long longitudinal walls in reinforced concrete with large openings that allow ventilation and natural lighting of the upper floors. These structures, with minimal thickness compared to their grandiose dimensions, have the appearance of vierendeel beams, although the structural system does not function as such. This work presents a structural design analysis of the building, seeking to show the designers elements of creativity to balance the structure, maintaining the formal characteristics provided by the architecture. A numerical analysis of the structural solution is made with the available computational tools, describing the adopted structural system. In addition to the analysis, several pathological manifestations in the buildings structures are presented, as discovered in a 2008 survey. All the recommendations for structure repair are made. After 15 years, the building was revisited to assess the quality, durability, and behavior of the repaired structural parts, which showed good performance.</jats:p>