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

AWARD: 2019 AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Merit Student Design Award

In*Tension, our collaborative project resulting for the Barry Onoue Studio at the University of Washington, has just won the 2019 AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Merit Student Design Award. Thank you students, the wonderful artists Janet Echelman, Rebecca Lazier and Samantha Boschnacks and my talented co-instructor Tyler Sprague!

PUBLICATION: Dynamic behavior of form-found shell structures according to Modal and Dynamic Funicularity

Super proud of our latest publication! G. Tomasello, S. Gabriele, S. Adriaenssens. “Dynamic behavior of form found shells: modal and dynamic funicularity”, Engineering Structures, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.109521.

PUBLICATION BOOK CHAPTER: Structured Lineages: learning from Japanese Structural Design

S. Adriaenssens, ‘Structured Lineages: Learning from Japanese Structural Design – Panel Discussion’, 1ste ed., G. Nordenson, MoMA, 2019. ISBN 978-633451-056-

PRESENTATION: EXTREME SHELLS

I am delighted to present our work that advances how to design and build earthquake resistant vaults at the University of Bergamo, Italy, on the 26th of July 2019.

FUNDING: “Designing Intelligent Structures that Learn and Adapt”

We are delighted to have been awarded Princeton Catalysis Initiative Funding for our research on smart structures and materials with Prof. Ryan Adams (COS).

PERFORMANCE: IN*TENSION

Nets, non-linear tensile systems, are form active when they interact with human bodies. They visualize fluid dynamics and can be bundled or fill a volume. They are strong, yet appear delicate. Join us for our structural/dance/architecture performance IN*TENSION on June 11th at 1pm Gould Hall, University of Washington, Seattle.

CONGRATS TO OUR GRADS: Amber, Angel, Nyema and Victor

Valete and avete! Undergrads Amber Lin, Angel Fan, Nyema Wesley and Doctor Victor Charpentier graduated yesterday: all the best to you!

OUTREACH: RESILIENCY AND BUILDINGS

Yesterday, 22nd of May, we had the pleasure of holding workshops for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at the Riverside Elementary School Science Day on how buildings can be designed to resist earthquakes.

PRESENTATION: FORM FOLLOWS FORCE – WHY AND HOW DOES IT MATTER?

The Cherry Blossoms are blooming at eth University of Washington, Seattle and I am giving a public lecture in the School of Architecture, Gould Hall on April 3rd. Drop by if you are around!

PUBLICATION: Hygroscapes: Innovative Shape Shifting Facades

Our design and scholarship carried out with collaborators from the American University of Cairo and Roma Tre University is published today as a chapter "Hygroscapes: Innovative Shape Shifting Facades" in the new book 'Digital Wood Design: Innovative techniques of representation in Architectural Design'

PRESENTATION: Form Finding of Shells for Extreme Loading and Environmental Stress

I thoroughly enjoyed presenting our most recent work on rigid and semi-flexible shells with civil applications at Rutgers University on February 13th.

FUNDING: Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund

We are delighted to have been awarded Intellectual Property Accelerator Funding to pursue the development of our bio-InspiRed adaptive Shading Device (IRiS)

PRESENTATION: BIOMIMETIC MORPHING SHAPES

Our work on biomimetic morphing shapes drew attention at the Hygroscapes Workshop 3, held at Roma Tre University, Rome (Jan 2019)

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.