Structural optimization of 3D masonry buildings
Author(s)
Whiting, Emily; Shin, Hijung; Wang, Robert; Ochsendorf, John A.; Durand, Fredo
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In the design of buildings, structural analysis is traditionally performed after the aesthetic design has been determined and has little influence on the overall form. In contrast, this paper presents an approach to guide the form towards a shape that is more structurally sound. Our work is centered on the study of how variations of the geometry might improve structural stability. We define a new measure of structural soundness for masonry buildings as well as cables, and derive its closed-form derivative with respect to the displacement of all the vertices describing the geometry. We start with a gradient descent tool which displaces each vertex along the gradient. We then introduce displacement operators, imposing constraints such as the preservation of orientation or thickness; or setting additional objectives such as volume minimization.
Date issued
2012-11Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceJournal
ACM Transactions on Graphics
Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery
Citation
Whiting, Emily, Hijung Shin, Robert Wang, John Ochsendorf, and Frédo Durand. “Structural Optimization of 3D Masonry Buildings.” ACM Transactions on Graphics 31, no. 6 (November 1, 2012): 11 pages.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
07300301