This paper includes the investigation of the soil–structure interaction (SSI) effect on the seismic response of 20 and 30-story reinforced concrete moment resisting frames (MRFs) rested on a piled raft foundation using the direct approach. After that, a study is conducted to show the impact of using a cellular raft instead of the designed solid raft on the dynamic response of the building. A study is introduced to select the best gap size for the cellular raft. The soil model is assumed as a single layer of sandy clay. Time history analysis by the direct integration method is performed under seven earthquake records (El-Centro, Northridge, Kobe, Chichi, Friuli, Kocaeli, and Loma), which are scaled to the Egyptian Code for Loads (ECP-201) response spectrum using a full 3D model by a finite element software named (Midas GTS NX). It is concluded that considering SSI significantly affects the dynamic response of high-rise buildings, and using cellular rafts generally leads to a decrease in their dynamic response.

This study includes an investigation of using a cellular raft over piles on the seismic response of both a twisting and regular tower using the direct method, demonstrating the variance between a solid raft and a cellular raft. Both towers are 52 stories high and made of reinforced concrete. They were also built on a reinforced concrete piled-raft foundation. The soil model is thought to be multi-layered and has the same profile as the zone under investigation (New Mansoura, Egypt). All structural properties (dimensions, section properties, materials) are equal to allow a fair comparison of output response for both towers. The sole difference between the two towers is their elevation. The study is carried out under seismic loads using nonlinear time-history analysis. All analyses are carried out employing finite-element software (Midas GTS NX). Thus, seven distinct earthquake records with full 3D models were used for time-history research. According to the findings and discussions, it is concluded that adopting a cellular raft can reduce the dynamic response of the towers. Considering the soil–structure interaction, the maximum inter-story drift ratio decreases by 8.17% for the twisting tower and 5.58% for the regular tower while using the cellular raft. Furthermore, the regular tower is more effective than the twisting tower at resisting lateral loads.