Architecture Commons^™

Form Finding Architecture, Anna Eliza B. Sy

Architectural Engineering

More often than not an engineer takes an architects idea and tries to make it structural sound. However, an engineer can also use his or her analytical tools to determine the shape of a building. This is a portfolio of various exercise that explores using the load flow and internal forces of a structure to determine and improve its architecture. SAP2000 is the primary program used for analysis. The topics covered are: the Mueller Breslau Method, Trusses, Three-Hinged Arches, Castiglione’s Elementary School, Fisac's design for the Jorba Laboratories, and Otto's Institute for Lightweight Structures.

Topology And Form Finding Via Genetic Algorithms, Michael Goldenberg, Nick Coburn

Architectural Engineering

The following presents an approach to early applications of the Galapagos program as a means to optimize structural forms. The process was conducted with Rhino’s Grasshopper program, the structural analysis plug-in, Karamba, and the genetic algorithm solver, Galapagos. This topological form finding process was based on flexible parameters that modified brace and column locations, and diaphragm size and positions.

This process worked by having Galapagos modify a parametric model which had initial randomly generated variables for the genomes. After structural analysis, Galapagos was tasked with changing the form in order to minimize overall displacement of the structure. Being an evolutionary …