OPTIMAL HEIGHT AND SHAPE OF A BUILDING WITH EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL TRAFFIC

This paper presents an analytical model for determining the height and shape of a building. The average travel distances of external and internal traffic are obtained for a multi-story building with rectangular floors. The analytical expressions for the average distances demonstrate how the number of floors and the total floor area affect the travel distance in the building. The optimal number of floors that minimizes the average distance is then obtained. The effects of the shape of floors and the locations of the escalator and entrance on the average distance and the optimal number of floors are also examined. The result shows that a one-story building can be optimal if the total floor area is small and the internal traffic is dominant and that the diamond floor is superior to the square and rectangular floors.