Form Finding Lab – Princeton University

Welcome

By 2050, 70% of the world population will live in cities. Today already 50% live in an urban environment and produce more than 75% of all C0₂ emissions. Finding intelligent and efficient ways to provide for more people with fewer resources will make cities more resilient to manmade and natural disasters and reduce their impact on the environment. Our long-term research goal is to transform the engineering design framework for a future-oriented built urban environment. Our research program addresses the following two core questions: What is the relationship between form and efficiency in civil structures?; and With increasing pressure on the preservation of natural resources, how can design theories and tools match untested sculptural ideas to material-efficient, constructible structures?

Please feel free to get in touch if you are interested in pursuing collaboration.

Prof. S. Adriaenssens
Associate Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Princeton University

FUNDING: HARNESSING LARGE DEFORMATIONS IN INTERLACED ELASTIC NETWORKS

We have just been awarded SEAS Project X Innovation funding, support for bold thinking and unconventional ideas.

PUBLICATION: Form finding of corrugated shell structures for seismic design and validation using non-linear pushover analysis

Corrugations in shell can be tailored to optimize the shell's behavior under earthquake loading. T. Michiels, S. Adriaenssens, M. Dejong, "Form finding of corrugated shell structures for seismic design and validation using non-linear pushover analysis", Engineering Structures https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.12.043

FUNDING: NOISE POLLUTION, BARRIERS, HEALTH, EQUITY AND THE CITY

Together with Prof. Boyer at the School of Architecture, we will start tackling noise pollution in urban areas through a Princeton Environmental Institute grant.

PUBLICATION: A multi-physics approach for modeling hygroscopic behavior in wood low-tech architectural adaptive systems

This paper presents some of the scholarship we carry out with Rome Tre University and the American University of Cairo S. Abdelmohsen, S. Adriaenssens, R. El-Dabaa, S. Gabriele, L. Olivieri, L. Teresi, L., “Programmable matter: A multi-physics modeling approach for low-tech architectural adaptive systems using hygroscopic properties of wood,” Computer-Aided Design, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ca

FUNDING: Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Naturally Inspired Resilient, Sustainable and Adaptable Infrastructure

We are delighted to have been awarded this ERC Planning Grant by the National Science Foundation.

2018 IASS: CREATIVITY IN STRUCTURAL DESIGN

We are co-organizing the IASS 2018: Creativity in Structural Design symposium at MIT (16- 20th July) . We are presenting, discussing, chairing sessions and networking about our work about adaptive structures, net and membrane structures and shells. If you are around, come and say hi!

IABSE HENDERSON COLLOQUIUM: How to design the next generation of adaptive structures?

We were invited to the IABSE Henderson colloquium at Christ Church College, Cambridge, UK to discuss as to the how and why of adaptive infrastructure (July 2 - 4th 2018). The future of cities lies there.

PUBLICATION: Modeling underwater cable structures subject to breaking waves

Our work on cables and nets subjected to wavebreak loading is here A. Niewiarowski, S. Adriaenssens, R.M.O. Pauletti, K. Addi, L. Deike, ‘Modeling underwater cable structures subject to breaking waves ‘, Ocean Engineering, vol. 64, 15, pp. 199-211.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2018.06.013

PUBLICATION: Seeking congruency in digital optimisation and constructability in fabric formed ice shells utilising bending active frames

L. Coar, M. Cox, S. Adriaenssens, ‘Seeking congruency in digital optimization and constructability in fabric formed ice shells utilizing bending active frames’, International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing, vol. 7, 2-3, pp. 186-202.

CONGRATS TO OUR GRADUATE STUDENTS ANDREW AND TIM!

Avete atque valete. Andrew Rock and Tim Michiels were hooded and graduated on June 4th and 5th. They will go on to do great things.

PUBLICATION: Assessing the stability of unreinforced masonry arches and vaults: a comparison of analytical and numerical strategies

D. Fang, R. Napolitano, T. Michiels, S. Adriaenssens, ‘Assessing the Stability of Unreinforced Masonary Arches and Vaults: A Comparison of Analytical and Numerical Strategies’, Journal of Architectural Heritage, doi: 10.1080/15583058.2018.1463413, 2018

CONGRATS: TIM SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS HIS PhD THESIS

Congratulations to Tim Michiels who successfully presented his doctoral research on Monday! You can watch his presentation video and Q&A on the Form Finding Lab Facebook page.

AWARD AND PRESENTATION: ASCE STRUCTURES CONGRESS

We are at the ASCE SEI Congress in Fort Worth, Texas to present our innovative course CEE546 "Form Finding of Structural Surfaces" and to receive the ASCE George Winter Award.

FUNDING: SHELLS AND DOMES IN SEISMIC REGIONS

The Princeton International Fund has awarded us a grant to continue our scholarship into the potential of shell and domes in seismic regions in collaboration with the University of Roma Tre, Italy.

PANEL: ENGINEERING AND THE SMART SUSTAINABLE CITY

We discussed what will a smart sustainable city look like from an engineering perspective at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Conference on Smart Cities and Innovations in Urban Government, March 9th 2018

FUNDING: ENGINEERING DESIGNS OPTIMIZED FOR PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF ESTHETICS

We are super happy to our proposal to generate new knowledge of how systems can be engineered to be not only efficient and economic, but also be perceived as being esthetic, has been funded by the Council for Science and Technology. This research project is the first collaboration between the research groups of Prof. Adriaenssens and Prof. Todorov (Department of Psychology PSY).