Rigid Pitched RC Frame w/ Compression Ring

[Trillers]

Attached is a sketch of a rigid (?) concrete frame with tapered beams culminating in a compression ring near the peak. This structure will be built in Seismic Zone D.
In a previous thread I was proposing to design the beam joints at the apex by having them meet at the center which was a fairly straightforward procedure(to which some of you agreed), but the architect has changed his design to allow his accent lights to be recessed in the apex. This now requires me going back to the compression ring as shown in the sketch.
I have reviewed quite a bit of literature to see how I would compute moments and reactions for the beam/ring joints and the column beam joints, but am confused about how the ring would affect the entire beam/column system.
I also need to design the ring and I propose to design it treating each face of the ring as both a column (to support the adjacent ring segments) and a short beam (to support the tapered beam load as shown.
Anyone know of a good reference which addresses designing a similar system?
Or can anyone suggest a procedure to analyze the column/beam/ring interaction?
Also - I intend to treat this as a rigid frame - does this make sense? I only ask this because I have been told by colleagues that the compression ring renders the beam/ring connections as "hinged" connections. I don't agree, but looking for your opinions out there.
Thanks.

 

[hokie66]

I would tend to make the compression ring circular to take advantage of the inherent arching properties of a circle. I agree with your colleague about the radial frames. I would design them as three pinned arches. They are not really pinned, but that assumption makes the analysis determinate, which I like.