Monitoring Column and Shear Wall Shortening in High-Rise Buildings

This study examines the vertical shortening behavior of reinforced concrete columns and shear walls in a 55-story high-rise building. Field measurements were carried out during construction using embedded sensors to monitor time-dependent deformations caused by creep, shrinkage, and elastic shortening. Shortening data were collected at multiple levels, specifically the 16th, 39th, and 49th floors, using embedded sensors installed in both columns and shear walls. Results show that vertical shortening is more pronounced at lower levels due to accumulated loads and sustained deformation over time. Columns exhibited slightly greater shortening than shear walls at corresponding locations, highlighting the influence of axial flexibility differences between structural elements. Symmetrical sensor pairs demonstrate consistent behavior, validating the structural design's uniformity. One notable exception was an abnormally large shortening at a shear wall location, suggesting localized effects that warrant further investigation. The findings emphasize the importance of differential shortening assessment to minimize long-term deformation-related issues, such as slab distortion and joint misalignment, in tall building construction.