Digital design workflow using fabrication - aware configurators

The construction industry has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, driven mainly by integrating advanced digital tools. One such tool is configurators, advanced digital platforms that enable the integration of diverse knowledge domains, allowing architects, designers, fabricators, contractors, and engineers to explore many design...

A Framework for On­-the-­fly Energy Calculation of BIM Models

Researches have been conducted to involve the sustainability of energy in the building's early design stage. The methods used include the IEF-based method, the BIM-API-based method, and other approaches. However, these methods have not helped architects out in the early design stage since the complexity of the assessment is not decreased.<br/>...

Factory in a Digital Model: Encoding a timber framed façade panel manufacturing knowledge to improve its design process

Façades within the building industry ore one the most important and expensive aspect of a project. They are the outer skin of a structure and are responsible for improving energy efficiency, while being both innovative and attractive. At the same time, façades need to accommodate requirements to withstand the outdoor environmental conditions. ...

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Timber High-Rise: Research and Development of a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Tool

There are two main challenges in the construction industry: carbon emissions and densification in cities. Timber high-rise might prove as a suitable solution to both these challenges. However, there is a lack of implementation of timber high-rise. This research argues that a lack of thorough analysis of timber design alternatives in the...

Buildable Design in Optimisation of Steel Skeletal Structures: A Comparison of Existing and New Methods for Finding the Best Solution with Low Diversity

In the design of steel structures, optimisation methods promise cheap, light and sustainable structures. However, the resulting designs tend to have a high diversity of profiles, making them unbuildable. Furthermore, the optimisation problem is mathematically complex, leading to a long and potentially unsolvable optimisation process. Grouping...

Structural sustainability in the early design phase: A parametric environmental impact assessment of various construction materials, including the design for deconstruction and donor structural framework concepts

The Netherlands is currently in the process of transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy, in accordance with the ”Nederland Circulair 2050” policy. To increase the circularity of buildings, several approaches can be integrated. In this research, the so-called Design for Deconstruction and Donor Structural Framework concepts are...

StructuralComponents7.0: A study of rigid frames behaviour and a computational tool prototype for the early design of mid-rise buildings

During the early stages of the construction process of a building, the potential impact of design decisions is at its greatest. One of the reasons is the lack of computational tools at these stages. The main objective of this research project was the expansion of StructuralComponents by the development of a parametric real-time computational...

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

The development of computational tools to aid with early-stage design of buildings is an emerging topic of great value. Developing a good conceptual design for a building is important because it can save a great amount of time and resources over the entire building process. This report discusses the project StructuralComponents 6, a continuation...

Monitoring foundations

It is estimated that about 400.000 houses in the Netherlands – both shallow and wooden pile foundations – could be facing problems with their foundations. Although, house owners are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that problems (and thereby costs) can be prevented if remedial measures are taken in time. Monitoring of the foundation can...