Investigating Principal Stress Lines: Optimization of Gridshell Structures

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

M.A.T. Cobb Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

A. Borgart (supervisor 1)
P. Nourian (supervisor 2)
S. Zijlstra (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2018 Michael Cobb
More Info
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Published Date

31-10-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Architecture within the last twenty years has developed in many ways. One such direction was reintroducing the physical world and physical phenomenon back to architectural language and design space. This is especially true as buildings have had to become more and more environmentally sustainable and developable with programs such as LEED, BREEAM, and Zero House popping up. While less pronounced, the same is true for other aspects of architecture too; such as pedestrian flow, constructability, and structural design. Each design in hi-tech architecture has become a compromise of these systems.
While significant funding has gone into understand how to design for energy efficient buildings, architects typically shy away from structural systems leaving these problems for structural engineers to solve. However, great design comes to fruition when the two systems work hand in hand. This method of design, integrated design, is starting to appear more and more in the design space with gridshell structures becoming classic icons of the beauty of this marriage.
Gridshell structures are becoming more widely known as architects such as Foster + Partners, Asymptote, and John McAslan & Partners have developed work that has become widely lauded and incredibly awe inspiring. These slender shapes still allow for large amounts of natural light as well as enable architects and designers to cover vast areas without the need of massive beams and a large amount of columns, instead finding rigidity in its own form.
This research project, attempts to create a system for architects and designers to play with in order to develop an efficient and useful gridshell concept structure and does this by approaching the perspective from two points. On one side a computational system is built based on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) data and signal processing while on the other, structural concepts are explored in order to determine a geometric relationship between load, form, and principal stresses.