Form Finding Lab – Princeton University

The construction industry is one of the most resource-intensive sectors. These resources –such as energy, raw materials and available land for both the building itself and the waste generated – are largely non-renewable and are rapidly decreasing. Due to the large size of buildings and bridges, their long serviceability life, and the large number constructed annually, our field in a privileged position to radically rethink the approach to design and to substantially advance sustainable development.  This opportunity underlines the relevance of this research. In recent years, research in the field of the design of sustainable structures has mainly focused on quantifying the environmental impact and life cycle cost of existing structures, and to a lesser extent new structures, maintenance and replacement modeling and strategies, reliability-based life cycle management, optimization of maintenance and management of deteriorating structures and life cycle design of new structures. A life cycle assessment approach quantifies the environmental effect of a design once the design is completed.  Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to developing structural design methodologies and tools that advocate sustainable design through minimal use of materials. Traditionally structural design is aimed at well-defined codes that guarantee structural strength and serviceability. These codes however set no specific requirements regarding the structure’s environmental impact.  Faced with the challenge of building more economically and sustainably, structures should be conceptualized with material and current available fabrication techniques in mind. The advent of digital modeling, optimization, form-finding and manufacturing technologies have given designers a new toolbox. Architects and artists have eagerly explored some of these methods to design and construct sculptural forms. My research develops and validates design methodologies that match untested design ideas to material-efficient and constructible structures through the development of numerical algorithms and tools.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Barnes M., Adriaenssens S., Krupka M. (2013).‘A novel torsion/bending element for dynmaic relaxation modeling.’ In Computers and Structures, 19 (1), pp 60–67.DOI 10.1016/j.compstruc.2012.12.027

Richardson J.N., Coelho R.F., Bouillard P., Adriaenssens S. (2012). ‘Symmetry and asymmetry of solutions in discrete and continuous structural optimization‘. In: Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. DOI 10.1007/s00158-012-0871-8

Thrall A.P., Adriaenssens S., Paya-Zaforteza I, Zoli E. (2012). ‘Linkage Based Movable Bridge Forms: Design Methodology and Three Novel Forms‘. In: Engineering Structures, v.37,pp.214-223.

Richardson J., Adriaenssens S., Bouillard P., Coelho R.(2012). ‘Multi-objective topology optimisation of truss structures with kinematic stability repair.’ In: Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimisation. (DOI) 10.1007/s00158-012-0777-5.

Tysmans T., Adriaenssens S., Wastiels J. (2011). ‘Form finding methodology for force-modelled anticlastic shells in glass fibre textile reinforced cement composites’, In: Engineering Structures,v.33.9, pp.2603-2611.

Fauche E., Adriaenssens S., Prevost JH., (2010).’Topology Optimisation of a thin shell structure’. In: Journal of International association of Shell and Spatial Structures,51(2),p. 153-160.

Adriaenssens S., Ney L., Bodarwe E., Dister V. (2009). ‘Centner footbridge bridges the gap between steel structural design and digital fabrication’. In: Steel Construction, 2(1), p. 33-35.

Adriaenssens  S.M.L. and Barnes M.R.,( 2001). Tensegrity spline beam  and grid shell structures. Engineering Structures, 23 (1), p. 29-36.

Numerical form finding of a  spline  membrane dome

Graphical form finding of Roebling suspension bridge

Numerical form finding of Dutch Marine Museum Coupola (Image courtesy Ney and Partners sa)