Fellow Engineers,
I have recently started designing hotels around the country and am a bit concerned in regards to how the diaphragms are loading the shear walls. I have reviewed existing drawings on many existing hotel designs by others and am perplexed on how the lateral system is truly working. The drawings I have reviewed mostly use the stairwells and elevators shafts as the lateral force resisting system for the entire building regardless of where they are located. To me having an one elevator shaft
somewhere in the middle of a 200' long, multistory building doesn't cut. Secondly, how does the diaphragm load this rigid element? In other drawings, there may be a a few shearwalls here and there down the corridor of the hotel with no corresponding exterior shearwalls for the diaphragm to span to. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have recently started designing hotels around the country and am a bit concerned in regards to how the diaphragms are loading the shear walls. I have reviewed existing drawings on many existing hotel designs by others and am perplexed on how the lateral system is truly working. The drawings I have reviewed mostly use the stairwells and elevators shafts as the lateral force resisting system for the entire building regardless of where they are located. To me having an one elevator shaft
somewhere in the middle of a 200' long, multistory building doesn't cut. Secondly, how does the diaphragm load this rigid element? In other drawings, there may be a a few shearwalls here and there down the corridor of the hotel with no corresponding exterior shearwalls for the diaphragm to span to. Any thoughts would be appreciated.