A Material Optimized Design Strategy for Mitigating Soft-Story Vulnerability Using Hollow Concrete Columns

A Material Optimized Design Strategy for Mitigating Soft-Story Vulnerability Using Hollow Concrete Columns | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Material Optimized Design Strategy for Mitigating Soft-Story Vulnerability Using Hollow Concrete Columns Md. Rumman Howlader, Musarrat Zabin Mubasshira This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6948892/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Soft-story irregularity is a critical structural concern in multi-story buildings, especially when the first-floor height is significantly greater than the upper floors. This architectural feature reduces lateral stiffness, increasing vulnerability to damage during seismic events. Traditional retrofitting methods, such as shear walls or steel bracing, can enhance stability but typically require large amounts of steel and cement, contributing to high embodied energy, CO₂ emissions, and environmental degradation. This study proposes a material-optimized design approach specifically aimed at mitigating soft-story vulnerability by using hollow reinforced concrete columns with the same concrete volume as conventional solid columns. A mid-rise, symmetric building was modeled using ETABS 2016 to compare the seismic performance between hollow and solid column systems. Results showed that hollow columns increased moment of inertia by up to 196.68%, significantly enhancing story stiffness and reducing displacements by up to 26.4%. The larger cross-section of hollow columns also lowered beam shear forces, bending moments, and torsion, contributing to greater structural stability and economic efficiency. The results confirm that hollow columns are capable of effectively mitigating the soft-story problem without requiring additional material. By achieving better seismic performance without increasing material use, this approach supports more resilient and environmentally responsible building practices, offering a promising alternative to conventional methods for mitigating soft-story vulnerability. Soft story Hollow column Environmental friendly building Etabs Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6948892","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":481032220,"identity":"172f3d82-5423-4072-b4b6-d3e4baf18dc4","order_by":0,"name":"Md. 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