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...

Novel Parametric Knowledge Modelling approach applied to Viaducts

This paper presents a novel approach to modelling and documenting design knowledge: to use parametric technology to explicitly store knowledge which exists in a group of people (such as a company), so that it can be reused over many projects and grow over time when more projects are designed. This approach has been applied and tested on a test...

Embodied energy optimization tool

About 40-50% of global raw materials are currently used in the building industry in the assembly/construction phase and in the use phase of the building and are responsible for 40-45% of total worldwide anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions (Huovila [5]). These problems have led to the development of legislative policies, regulations and...

Digital technology impacts on the Arnhem transfer hall structural design

The new Transfer Hall in Arnhem is one of the key projects to prepare the Dutch railways for the increased future demands for capacity. UNStudio developed a master plan in 1996 for the station area of which the completion of the Transfer Hall in 2015 will be a final milestone. The Transfer Hall is a merging point of passengers, commercial and...

StructuralComponents 4: Conceptual building models with structural design justification

The adoption of computation in the building industry has led to the development of a range of tools intended for design. Although commonly used for detailed analysis (FEA) and documentation (CAD/BIM), few tools address the needs of the early design stages for flexibility and quick, insightful feedback and documenting the justification of design...

Computational reuse optimisation for stadium design

This paper presents a proof of concept study into a computational strategy for reusing structural stadium elements. The strategy goal is overcoming the reuse design strain through implementation of a genetic algorithm. This algorithm is calibrated to search for a structural frame configuration, while using a reusable element set, meeting floor...

State on the art of computational tools for conceptual structural design

This paper presents a review of existing research, projects, developments and applications in the domain of design tools for conceptual structural engineering. The availability of these tools and research into software for conceptual structural design stages has shown a number of interesting developments over the last past few years. The purpose...

Structured automated code checking through structural components and systems engineering

This paper presents a proposal to employ the design computing methodology proposed as StructuralComponents (Rolvink et al [6] and van de Weerd et al [7]) as a method to perform a digital verification process to fulfil the requirements related to structural design and engineering as part of a building design. In current design and engineering...

Interactive distributed optimisation for multidisciplinary design

This paper presents the development of a multidisciplinary optimisation system for the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. The system consists of two major components, namely a multidisciplinary optimisation framework and a distributed cloud-based analysis framework. The former utilises an interactive optimisation search...

EnergyFacade - Operational energy optimisation for conceptual facade design

This paper presents the results of the investigation into the possibilities for the implementation of a Building Performance Simulation design toolbox during the early stages of façade design, based on the sustainability-open framework [2]. The background and development of the EnergyFacade toolbox will be discussed which has been built on the...

Open source engineering and sustainability tools for the built environment

This paper presents two novel open source software developments for design and engineering in the built environment. The first development, called “sustainability-open” [1], aims on providing open source design, analysis and assessment software source code for (environmental) performance of buildings, structures and infrastructure. The aim of...

Discrete design optimization accounting for practical constraints

This paper presents a heuristic algorithm for discrete design optimization, based on the optimality criteria method. Practical applicability is the first concern; special attention is therefore paid to the implementation of technological constraints. The method is generally applicable, but in order to clarify the idea, it is used in this paper...

Interoperability in the networked design infrastructure

Interoperability, the ability of different software applications to communicate with each other, is one of the biggest challenges for efficient and effective use of advanced software technology in structural design and engineering. In practice, the problem of interoperability exists very much for the end-user since agreement on common standards...

StructuralComponents: A software system for conceptual structural design

Conceptual design is the starting point of the design process. The conceptual design stage comprises the formation of several ideas or design concepts to meet the imposed constraints. StructuralComponents is a software application that attempts to provide the designing engineer with a suitable set of tools for this stage. It facilitates the...

NetworkedDesign: Next generation infrastructure for computational design

During the design and engineering process of buildings and structures an enormous amount of data and information is produced. Logic, knowledge and experience is employed during this process by the designers and engineers to finally come to the design result. Because this information can not be fully recorded by software, a huge amount of...