Design and Performance Considerations for Buildings in Coastal and Offshore Environments

Year : 2026 | Volume : 13 | Issue : 01 | Page : 13 21
    By

    Birendra Kumar Singh,

  1. professor, Civil Engineering Department, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, india

Abstract

Buildings near coastal and offshore regions are exposed to extreme wind and seismic forces that govern structural design. In this study, a simplified assessment of wind and earthquake loads acting on a multistorey coastal building is presented. A wind velocity of 400 km/hr. is considered to represent severe cyclonic conditions. Using a unit weight of air of 12 N/m³, the cumulative wind thrust acting over a building height of 40 m and length of 30 m is evaluated. The building consists of four storeys with a storey height of 10 m and columns of 0.8 m width. While the direct wind thrust on an individual column is estimated as 24.11 tonnes, the total wind thrust on the building is calculated as 904.32 tonnes. With six columns spaced at 6 m along the building length, the additional load transferred to each bottom column is approximately 151 tonnes. A seismic event of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale is also considered, corresponding to a ground acceleration of 0.7 g (6.867 m/s²). The study highlights that the cumulative wind load governs the design of bottom columns in coastal buildings rather than local wind effects alone.

Keywords: Coastal buildings, wind thrust, seismic loading, bottom column design, offshore structures.

[This article belongs to Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology ]

How to cite this article:
Birendra Kumar Singh. Design and Performance Considerations for Buildings in Coastal and Offshore Environments. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2026; 13(01):13-21.
How to cite this URL:
Birendra Kumar Singh. Design and Performance Considerations for Buildings in Coastal and Offshore Environments. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2026; 13(01):13-21. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joost/article=2026/view=239098


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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 13
Issue 01
Received 05/02/2026
Accepted 07/02/2026
Published 11/02/2026
Publication Time 6 Days
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