StructuralComponents 6: An early-stage design tool for flexible topologies of mid-rise concrete buildings

This paper discusses the project StructuralComponents 6, a continuation of the ongoing project StructuralComponents which focuses on the development of computational tools for conceptual building design beginning with Breider [1]. The goal of StructuralComponents 6 is to develop a tool for the conceptual design of mid-rise concrete buildings...

Finding Membrane Shells Subjected to Horizontal Body Forces with Radial Basis Functions

Membrane shells, which have minimized bending moments under certain load conditions, are regarded as ideal structural forms in terms of material efficiency. Most of the existing numerical form-finding methods are based on discretizing membranes into finite panels or funicular networks and focusing on gravitational loading only. In order to...

Performance-based parameterization strategies: A theoretic framework and case studies

In this paper, alternative approaches to structure the parametric geometry in relation to information on various performances are described and exemplified. They relate to different levels of knowledge that concern the performances considered in the process and which are available to the designer while the parametric model is being set....