Optimization of Urban Quay Wall Design: A parametric approach to improve the structural efficiency

Over the last years the critical state of existing quay wall structures have gained a lot of concern. With the focus on urban quay walls in Amsterdam, a lot of aspects could play a role which limit the possibilities for both the design and the construction. The focus in this research is placed at the structural efficiency of the design for...

Developing a parametric script for the preliminary design and optimization of concrete balanced cantilever bridges

In this thesis, research is performed into parametric design of balanced cantilever bridges within the total road design. The main research question is: What can be achieved by using a parametric model in the preliminary design phase, with the possibility to optimize and compare concrete bridges on material usage, costs and environmental impact?...

OPTIMUS: Self-Adaptive Differential Evolution with Ensemble of Mutation Strategies for Grasshopper Algorithmic Modeling

Most of the architectural design problems are basically real-parameter optimization problems. So, any type of evolutionary and swarm algorithms can be used in this field. However, there is a little attention on using optimization methods within the computer aided design (CAD) programs. In this paper, we present Optimus, which is a new...

Shaping Forces: Review of two Bridge Design Methodologies towards Architectural and Structural Symbiosis

This paper investigates the symbiotic relationship between the architectural appearance of a bridge and the structural design. The research is done by reviewing and comparing the design methodology employed by the first author in the conceptualization of two of his bridges; an early work from 1997 and a recent work from 2017. The review of the...

Towards the Automation of Preliminary Bridge Designs with Parametric Design Software: Assessment and optimization of multiple steel-concrete bridge typologies

This thesis concerns research into the parametric modelling and optimization of steel-concrete bridge typologies typically found in the Netherlands, in order to further the automation of preliminary bridge designs. The research question posed is: "How can a parametric bridge design model be composed to fit into the <br/>overall road design...