The Hull-core Structure - an American Design for Office Buildings

Recent changes in the design of the American office-block indicate a trend towards simplification of its layout and shape. At the same time the demand for larger and higher skyscrapers is still increasing. A new structural system meets these requirements. The traditional framework with its curtain-wall cladding is being superseded by a structure which consists of two concentric tubular walls, the hull and the core, with the floors spanning between them. Both walls are load-bearing and wind-resisting at the same time. During the past few years several such 'hull-core structures' have been built in the United States by leading American architects.
Various external treatments in both steel and concrete have been employed. Although some of the structural problems concerning stability, stress distribution and stiffness are often complex, the hull-core structure appears to have a great potential
for future development.

E.W. Hirschmann