Sustainable Engineering with Renewable Materials

One of the most innovative buildings built in Canada last year might be one of its most unassuming. Brock Commons Tallwood House on UBC's campus was completed late last year set to be used for student housing. Aesthetically, it comes in about average. The design has stayed with a cost-effective rectilinear form, and the designers have tried where they can to accentuate the exterior facade. What is worth noting, however, is the project's use of innovative materials and building techniques. 

#featurefriday #UBC Brock Commons #Tallwood House student residence construction #tallest #masstimber #wood #Vancouver photos: Lara Shecter pic.twitter.com/zOxkx13qEi

— Acton Ostry (@actonostry) May 12, 2017

One of the most interesting implications of tall timber structures is that it essentially deepens the number of ways buildings can be solar-powered. Steel and concrete, while contributing to the great heights achieved by modern architecture, also have correspondingly large carbon footprints. Another way of saying it is that steel and concrete are very energy intensive materials to produce. On the other hand, using timber means the growth of the building comes directly from a renewable resource, and that the Sun does most of the work. One can also assume that as time goes on, the carbon footprint of manufacturing and transporting the timber will continue to decrease as manufacturing plants and vehicles become more energy efficient (this point, of course, also applies to steel and concrete production as well). Increasing the use of renewable materials supports the AEC industry's goal of promoting sustainable design. 

To date, there's not a lot of in-depth research about the effects of fire retardants used on mass timber projects. It's definitely a necessary step, as such a building can be viewed as a humongous bonfire, and fire retardants of past decades are now seen to be harmful to human health as they tend not to stay inert in the wood forever. Essentially, the fire retardants need to penetrate the deep into the wood. No doubt this risk was considered at some point in this project, however, I can't yet point readers to any sort of in-depth reporting expanding on the modern use of fire retardants in these types of buildings. I have also heard reports from the UK that sound transmission through mass timber structures can be exaggerated compared to a concrete high-rise. Mechanical energy waves like someone dropping a chair can travel quite far through the timber beams and columns. Decouplers installed between columns and beams can stop mechanical energy noise from transiting through the structural system, but I don't know if any were used in this project. Something to keep in mind as you try to get a good night's sleep in a timber high-rise.  

What I really like about Brock Commons is the modular nature of its building process. Different types of CLT panels, columns and beams were used in combination to complete the structure. It reminds me so much of LEGO but its practical implications for the construction process are immense. It's another good example of how BIM technology brings the construction process earlier into the design phase. Here a lot of the credit goes to Fast+Epp Engineering for structuring a wooden building this tall. The modularity and pre-fabrication of the design had two main benefits of increasing tolerances (for better building performance) and speeding construction. Each of which contributes to the cost-effective and sustainable nature of the design. Timber buildings this tall are not necessarily experiential, but they are a type of specialized engineering as the types of forces put into the timber are quite different from that which normally found in the residential market. In all, I think it can be confidently stated the industry will continue to see an increase in the use of this type of technology, and readers are well advised to familiarize themselves with this type of construction.  

#Backtoschool2017 @UBC Brock Commons #Tallwood House @UBCrez @UBCcampus @tallwoodbldgs @reThinkWood @FPInnovations https://t.co/Iz08orccUX pic.twitter.com/liDPQLQPd2

— Acton Ostry (@actonostry) September 7, 2017

How Digital Design Supports Modern Sustainable Infrastructure Projects

Waking up every morning wanting to improve one's knowledge of BIM is a welcomed characteristic in the AEC industry. Expanding the group of stakeholders who could potentially benefit from the use of BIM in their project is the focus of this article. "Building Information Modelling" has it right there in the title: we should focus on buildings. This misconception contributes to one reason why I've slowly been shifting from strictly describing the use of REVIT or Sketchup as BIM, and have adopted them as tools in a more comprehensive digital design strategy. Infrastructure projects are a good example of where this technology is expanding to. These tend to be projects where construction is going on, but it isn't necessarily building related. This field is an important area of application for BIM because these projects benefit from same positive characteristics of BIM as vertical building: that being better coordination, earlier visualizations, more streamlined production workflow, etc. (I'm assuming my audience is well-acquainted with the benefits of BIM.)

The AEC industry is therefore faced with a choice to either focus more broadly on digital design, or continue to distinguish between horizontal building projects, like rail interchanges and mining concerns, and traditional vertical building projects. My advice is to ignore the debate over whatever to call it – it's a question that doesn't need to be answered at this exact moment. The far better goal, which is also more difficult to achieve, is to make sure your organization is fully dedicated to capturing the value of digital design on every level of the project: that being mostly found in the characteristics of collaboration and coordination, and analysis.

An example using computational architecture in a production workflow.

Say I've been tasked with laying out 300 km of pipe across some terrain in beautiful Southern Alberta (seen above). It's a very linear problem: There are not a lot of features on either side of the pipe to help orient oneself to the project. However, there is a good chance that despite the problem presenting itself as highly linear with many repeated elements, a great deal of engineering detail is subtly changing along the length of the pipe that absolutely must go on the drawings correctly. "Here the ability of computational architecture and programming skills to setup overview templates and routines which 1) automate the precise and equal spacing of views along the pipeline track and 2) cross-references engineering specifications contained within the view to some other human-readable format (the subject of data visualization). This translates in a production workflow as a nice cheat sheet that always references the important engineering data scaled to an appropriate layout of the project. This sort of script could be as sophisticated or simple as a firm's programming skill and project resources allow and benefits in terms of efficiency gains and increased accuracy will follow proportionally. In navigating these questions the topic of software development is the most likely source of information about the problems currently facing the AEC industry. 

The BIM Cycle. 

Lastly we come to Circular BIM which has implications for many firms wishing to offer the market a full suite of building services from pre-production to construction to post-occupancy facilities management. I don't remember where I first heard this idea but after applying it consistently for a period, the concept continues to shed light on how firms can attract projects at any stage of their lifecycle. Interpreting from within an economic framework of BIM, it's hard to ignore the many applications of digital design and data science to the field. Take for example the strong growth in the market for scan-to-model services of existing buildings. The real estate and development sectors see great value in digital models in the facilities management field. The decommissioning process is also another natural area to apply BIM. As counter-intuitive as it may sound to long time readers, situations arise where BIM for decommissioning and demolishing is the perfect digital platform for the project, supporting many automated quantifying tasks with only a little post-processing of the scan-to-model data. This is contrasted to how BIM was framed as just a building tool at the beginning of the piece. Firms wanting to expand in any market are going to want to invite clients to start their project anywhere on the BIM circle. Smaller firm might what to focus on only a couple of BIM phases to gain a competitive advantage in them. Larger firms will have an easier time establishing a complete tool chain to capture projects anywhere in the cycle. 

How Computational Engineering Supports Better Building Quality

News of Dynamo's achievements are starting to spread widely, but that's not to say it can't be helped further. I'm normally a bit more focused on the production side of computational architecture but this use case for computational architecture by ARUP and Populous really highlighted some of the benefits of using this technology. Populous is a small firm with a growing international presence but in this project's style and trends were not the only factors driving the early design phase. 

The linked case study explores how ARUP provided Populous with 12 detailed structural options in 12 weeks for Australia's proposed National football stadium. Without the computational support the article states they would have only produced 3 or 4 options in the same time period. From the perspective of the client, this increase in design options represents a better search of the total solution space. This translates for the building design manager as an increase in building quality. The source of this extra value is in the application of iterative design techniques. One of the characteristics of this application worth pointing out is the detail contained in the options. Dynamo was as much responsible for increasing the number of options analyzed but also, importantly, increasing the detail. In this data-intensive age where econometrics is replacing economics, the increased level of model detail drove more accurate cost estimates, certainly for materials, as ARUP's specialty is structure, but also I assume construction costs as well, which depends heavily on the complexity of the geometry. 

A last point to note is where ARUP stopped using Dynamo in the project: At the building performance analysis stage. ARUP owns a software company and therefore probably has little need for other 3rd-party software to analyze their projects to the quality they want. Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, Dynamo is not optimized for the types of calculations seen in structural analysis, nor its interface, giving 3rd-party products an advantage. That is beginning to change as Dynamo matures as a programming language. A team in Europe has spent a great deal of effort putting together an Dynamo-based structural optimization package called DynaShape. Considering its aim, the software is a bit complex to use. And I can't speak to the quality of its output either, that being a whole other complicated subject. But the code is open-source so those curious enough can find out for themselves. There are some videos included in the link as well which give a clearer idea about the capabilities of the package, though I wish they were longer. 

Nano-architecture

We try to deliver developments in materials engineering field because it's a valuable component anyone's ongoing surveillance of the AEC Industry. Engineering specific material qualities shows great promise but has been slow to leave the lab and find a place on the construction site. Useful nano-coatings are starting to emerge onto the market but I find it's the materials' structural and mechanical properties – which often merry contradictory qualities – most impressive. 

The first update comes from Northwestern University professor Chad Mirkin who's lab perfected a novel way of combining DNA to produce different crystallization structures. A lot of his research was based on previous advancements in modelling protein folding, one of the most computationally complex branches of applied mathematics, which here was used here in conjunction with other materials to create crystallization structures not previously seen in nature. The basic process harnesses knowledge of how A, C, G, and T nuclides fold but then include other nanoparticles in the self-assembly process to create the crystal structures. Here the medical benefits seem more apparent than the architectural goals, medicine delivery mainly, but different coatings could be developed in the future which have aesthetic or functional value to the AEC industry. His university summarizes his work thusly: "Mirkin is director of the research group that invented the chemistry for conjugating DNA and nanoparticles and a pioneer of the concept of programmable colloidal crystallization with nucleic acids."

The next update was super interesting because of its connection to 3D printing. Normally we promote a much bigger version of 3D printing suitable for architecture and construction, but Washington State University used 3D printing on a microscopic level which still has implications for architecture. Amazing! The details of the project are many but the general idea is that researchers used lasers to etch out their 3D structures from metallic vapour clouds, in this case gold. As the technique advances in sophistication and scale, the properties of these materials, say if carbon is substituted, start to have architectural implications. These materials can be engineered to have very specific mechanical properties of strength and lightness while still retaining certain amount of deflection and flexibility required for safe and productive building. Whole buildings made with of this sort of nano-technology are probably a way off but large-scale manufacturing of 3D printed materials is progressing quickly and there is nothing to say gravity defying architectural features can't be utilized within a decade. Having materials which combine characteristics that historically have always been contradictory opens the door to many creative design options. As adoption evolves, the laws of physics won't change how loads are transferred to the ground, but the structural members themselves could look radically different leading to new building forms heretowith not considered. 

Skyscrapers Effect on the Urban Fabric

Skyscrapers and high rise buildings represent large investments and therefore should demand the very best of architectural criticism. In a jarring experience last week I was reminded that sometimes websites rush to feed the content treadmill before considering the reader. All readers are of immense value and I'm grateful for each. Now more than ever tall structures need our scrutiny. London has something like 119 applications in the pipeline (thought it's expected not all will be built) and juggernauts like Gehry and Foster are facing off in downtown Toronto. Who's the one who's going to go out on a limb and pick favourites?

Below is a composite of several diagrid structures. I'll send you to writer and subject matter expert @TerriBoake for more specifics on that but the point which bares reflection is that urban planners negative reaction to skyscrapers appears to be somewhat justified. We've covered on the blog before the somewhat dubious thermal properties of high rise buildings clad in glass and current research in the urban design field is only starting to come to grips with some of the negative quality-of-life issues arising from letting the free market totally dictate the form of our cities. 

Skirting the economic issues we return to the aesthetic. It pains me greatly such a great symbol of human's propensity to create is so flawed. And specifically, if we must accept some flaws to just get anything built, then can't we at least push the design further? Foster's daigrid skyscrapers to the center and and right fair much better against Eric Parry Architects' 1 Undershaft. The pressure from the developers here is very evident. One can imagine design meetings where the developer, in this case representatives from Singapore property developers Aroland Holdings, is basically giving ultimatums to Eric Parry to maximize the floor plate no matter what. That's how we end up with a boring rectangular prism for our great expense. I guess staying positive there could be awesome interior design and retail architecture. Plus one can at least still implement some sustainable technology.

In the running for best daigird high rise is Hearst Tower out of New York. I've always felt a bit iffy about the structure's connection to the historic base but at least above there is a lot going on. At least there trying something here. In case you'd like to see more urban high rise architecture, please check out the excellent feed of @tectonicphoto!

A photo posted by Tectonic (@tectonicphoto) on Dec 1, 2016 at 6:09am PST

Burn it all down! Build Sustainable Post-Modern Architecture

I guess it might come as good news to some net-zero homes can now be designed and built to look exactly like normal suburban homes. And while that might be worth a bit of celebration what we aim for at The Perfect Architecture Company is to encourage design which pushes far past the average. Having only a blog at my disposal to encourage demand that means we highlight:

In the 21st century there is no better bearer of environmental excellent than the California Academy of Science Museum in San Francisco (completed in 2008). The whole building gives the impression they are trying to say, the future has arrived – and were not going backwards. Renzo Piano can be credited with again applying his genius to create a stunning form and wonderful interior spaces. What I really like about this building is that many of its sustainability technologies were transformed into architectural features.

• Living Roof
• Natural Light
• Automated Ventilation
• Renewable Energy Use
• Energy Efficient Building Design
• Sustainable Materials

Execute that list well and you might get double LEED too. They even managed to work in some of the old exterior facade as an architectural feature inside! Overall the design really speaks volumes about Renzo Piano's studio's skill and creativity. Arup is here again, putting another excellent accomplishment on their resume. As for Stantec, they were somehow involved but it will be hard to celebrate their participation because unfortunately I could not easily find further details about their involvement. 

Build The World! 2016 Structural Engineering Awards

The Institution of Structural Engineers did such a good job last year curating a list of interesting and inspiring architectural projects that when the 2016 winners were recently announced I again wanted to take some time to highlight some of the winners. More buildings were included in the formal list than can be included in this post but one of my long-held curiosities in the field is how to make structural engineering more sustainable in the sense the field is transitioning into a low-carbon economy in regards to its main construction materials. Be that as it may, their choice for accomplishment in sustainability was London's 5 Broadgate which while having some strong points might not have fully addressed the environment aesthetically – my apologies if a deeper description of this has to wait for a future blog because of this blog's policy to only speak positivity of architecture and the building endeavour. Therefore we should be thankful for BuroHappold's effort to drastically reduce and quantify this building's carbon footprint. Arup was again recognized along side BuroHappold for taking on daring engineering challenges in 2016. I also discovered a great little practice Pell Frischmann (which is really not so little and based in London) who was recognized for their effort toward educational architecture with their completion of The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. 

Lastly we touch on the double award winning Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre of Surrey, B.C., which was recognized for achievement in Community or Residential Structures and Supreme Engineering Excellence. There's lots to like about this building but I'll only point out my favourite little detail: The roof of this building is amazing! Hats off to HCMA Architecture + Design who specified these wonderful wooden beams with the curvature derived from the catenary function to give the structure this wonderfully light appearance. The roof line is so thin and just sort of floats draped there. Really really cool. The project included Fast & Epp of Vancouver as the structural consultants. Hopefully they're taking a much deserved break after their win to fortify themselves against the many many building projects waiting to be challenged. 

Mini-Review of the University of Manchester’s new Engineering Building

Currently rising up on the University of Manchester’s historic campus is the new Manchester Engineering Campus Development. I really love the look of this building. Encompassing approximately. 870 000 sq. ft. it will provide expanded research and teaching space to the university. During the 1970s it seemed like many tech companies were attempting this same sort of sleek black aesthetic but coming away with an ominous and foreboding black blob instead. Credit goes to architecture firm Mecanoo of London for their light and sleek design that reminds me of lace but with a hyper-technical edge suitable for engineering. The whole rhythm of the façade says, “Hey, some important science is going on in here.” The project is striving for BREEM “Excellent” status with the help of Burohappold Engineering and props to Arup for their civil, mechanical, electrical and structural expertise on the project as each of those factors contribute to the building’s overall sustainability and here are executed to the highest degree. I think the University of Manchester will be very happy with their new building, though with the caveat this is a mini-review with little insight into the building’s layout. I suppose it’s possible the floorplan is a dog’s breakfast of lonely corridors and windowless classrooms but I doubt it considering the outlined project team. I love seeing wide public support for buildings with ambitious architectural goals. It means they will stand a chance to get the resources they need to state, loudly, in architectural terms, that these are our values are as a city and university.

Raising Structural Engineering’s Sustainability Game

Though constantly enthralled with my day job building with large beams – digitally at least – one thing always in the forefront of my mind is how structural engineering relates to one of the biggest drivers in the modern AEC industry: sustainable design. The steel and concrete which normally makes up a building’s superstructure do not lend themselves naturally to sexy sustainability measures. They’re energy intensive components to manufacture and transport and thereafter become inert and forgotten – ideally for the life of the building. Recently the 2016 Canadian Green Building Awards were announced highlighting some of structural engineering’s contribution to sustainable architecture. Basically what our firm does – or at least what I can contribute – is thoughtful material optimization. This is done by being as geometrically rigorous as possible delivering an efficient structure. Then we have beam design and selection etc. which is done by the engineers. This is mostly governed by local building codes but does have material and cost implications that better engineers will shift to the owners’ advantage. The projects in the article don’t stray too far from engineering’s traditional approach to sustainable structural design. Most of the efficiencies gleaned from their sustainability programme appear to come from high performance enclosures as opposed to novel recycled structural components or planting 20 trees for every steel beam. (Though I do like the sound of a solar-powered concrete pour.) Blackwell Structural Engineering had not previously been on my radar and it was nice to see Fast + Epp’s work acknowledged again but I wonder how they would fare against engineering juggernaut Arup.

The Rock n’ Roll Lives of General Contractors: A Mini-Financial Analysis

In an effort to model the steps in a preliminary economic analysis of an industry and highlight the role of the general contractor in design and construction we describe below the economic characteristics of the general contracting industry:

On any given project of considerable size the flow of money to the general contractor will dwarf the design costs of the project. This has implications for the design fee structure negotiated which are usually ranges between 5-10% of total construction costs. From the Engineering News Record database we learn the top two international general contracting firms by revenue are France’s Vinci and Spain’s ACS Group with annual revenue of 53.7 bil. (in CDN$ 2011) and 55.9 bil. (in CDN$ 2012) respectively. These are massive companies grown through acquisition which glean most of their revenue through infrastructure projects but as one can see they are much bigger than even some of the world’s largest construction projects.

Moving toward more regional players for contrast, Edmonton’s PLC Construction and Calgary’s Graham Construction are two of the biggest companies in the province with revenue of $8 bil. and $2 bil. in 2014 respectively. For comparison, removing oil and gas projects, the top four infrastructure projects currently under construction in Alberta are the Valley Line LRT in Edmonton at $3.2 bil., the StoneGate Landing development in Calgary at $3.0 bil. and the Anthony Henday Drive Expansion in Edmonton at $1.8 bill. Falling just outside the top ten, the next architectural development down the list Calgary’s new airport concourse at $1.4 bil. As one can see, even a billion dollar company can be exposed to risks associated with a project representing a significant portion its annual revenue. After-tax profit margin is estimated to be in the single digits. Ultimately for these companies, controlling construction costs is central to giving gross profit margins the space to cover company overhead. 

Helpful Links: 

General Contractor Financial Analysis Paper

Construction Financial Ratios

EngineeringNews-Record Top 250 Global Contractors List 2015 

MajorProjects Alberta

Software for High-tech Structural Engineering Applications

While I’m still struggling to understanding Dynamo for REVIT gracing the blog yet again is the good work of structural engineering software consultants Oasys Software who I’m sure would be happy to instigate a full-scale engineering attack on your next engineering mega-project. AEC Magazine highlights two projects featured in the 2015 Structural Engineering Awards which showcase custom applications of advanced structural modelling software.

SSE Hydro is a 12000 seat sports and entertainment complex Glasgow, Scotland with the roof geometry parametrically defined by Oasys GSA software and the remaining structural modelling done by Bentley Solutions. I’m not sure how common it is for the same high-profile building to use different two software approaches but the finished structure is stunning and I’d love to see Radiohead play live there (should the opportunity ever arise). 

Recognized in the Arts or Entertainment Structures category, the second featured structure is the Vegas High Roller described as the “tallest observation wheel in the world”. Because of the pun in the title I will spill the beans and admit 1) it’s just a ferris wheel 2) I’ve never been to Vegas and 3) I’m not particularly drawn to designing novelty entrainment structures. That said, the structure is notable for two engineering reasons: The wheel resists horizontal forces with a single graceful arm to the side and secondly note the lovely use of delicate spokes brace the rim. The total effect of which is a transparent, light and delicate structure, all of which screams innovative high-tech design.

How Building Codes Change

After a short vacation I’m back in professional mode trying to keep abreast of the latest structural engineering and building information modelling news. Perhaps with my background in architectural history I’m more apt to take an interest in the evolutionary changes which slowly occur within the field of structural engineering. Though of slightly more relevance to civil engineering, a recently released report of a January 2015 subway fire in Washington D.C. noted - among the many other safety short comings of the Washington D.C. metro system - that a contributing factor in the poor emergency response was that the tunnel had been built in the 1970s to 1970s standards where controlling temperature and heat had been main priorities. In the 80s, cumulative experience shifted this view instead to focus on the evacuation of smoke in an emergency and codes subsequently updated. Another example of this is what engineers learned from 2011 Japanese Tsunami; my connection being I use to live there. The article notes, “The debris fields along the devastated coastal areas of northeastern Japan quickly became a laboratory for investigating not only the direct hydraulic loads but also many related phenomena, such as building buoyancy, backwash and scour.” Concluding, “Concrete structures with deep foundations and good shear bracing survived, but others with weak foundation connections lifted and rolled.” Ultimately this has led for calls to change the building code for essential structures in coastal areas which could be used as places of refuge in an emergency. The article conveniently summarizes the recommended changes in one paragraph: “The new ASCE standards were developed based on a maximum considered tsunami (MCT) that has a 2% probability of being exceeded in a 50-year period, or a ~2,500 year average return period. The MCT is characterized by the site-specific inundation depths, run-up and flow velocities during inflow and outflow—all based on probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis”.

Material Optimization in BIM

Myself in general and my firm specifically focuses on cost sensitive clients and while I love love love the sector always central to this goal is material optimization. I’m not an engineer and therefore can’t optimize the design through steel selection and so mostly concentrate on reducing steel through an excellent grasp of geometry. However, I often struggle to understand how our drawings are used downstream by the steel supplier to optimize the design and was happy to find information on the subject in a recent Revit Structure Blog post. Our firm is always specifying just such braces seen in the post but does not explicitly design them (though we can). Our firm’s role is to calculate all the loads which go into the piece and then the steel supplier can (if they wish) optimize the piece which, as the link shows, can significantly reduce the amount of material needed with no change in capacity. It’s a very interesting read and I hope the knowledge will lead to better integration with our building design partners.

The Sharp Point of Proactive Design

Lots of good research comes from the real estate sector because they tend to be very sophisticated users of design services. This week's article on proactive design caught my attention because I’ve long held the value of a building is primarily established in the design phase. Being proactive about the structural system is central to this. 

In the end, however, I think the article missed key opportunities to provide evidence of why it's important for clients to engage the services of a structural engineer as early in a project as possible. Take for instance the authors' statement: 

“If the correct structural system is selected early on when concepts are still fluid, it forms the right bones for all that follows and inherently reduces costs due to its appropriateness and efficiency.” 

What makes it "inherent"? If I'm a critical thinker, I should ask myself if there aren't empirical ways to investigate this question. And what the authors gloss over as inherent I think actually represents a testable process which is predictable enough to save clients money. My hypothesis is that numbers exist which point to very specific reasons why the building design process is optimized when structure is addressed early. I actually just found the numbers in books at the University of Calgary library and on the internet. Had I written the article - the main thrust of which I agree with - I wouldn't have used the word "inherent" but rather more words instead. Ha!

BIM Technology For Foundation Design

In an effort build constructively I’ve collected below two articles which illustrate some of the advantages structural modelling provides even if our shop isn’t currently utilizing each to its full extent.

Detailing rebar lines in concrete is one of the first steps in keeping a building upright and an activity I do daily. Detailing becomes a challenge when 1) the complexity of the structure and 2) demand for a comprehensive design increases. The linked article follows VK Architects and Engineers through their advanced structural modelling workflow and as one can see the results are impressive. Of most use to the structural engineering community are the 2D views which track and specify the position and type of reinforcement to be used and can be critical for certain types of building permits and construction documents (depending on jurisdiction). The automatic creation of reinforcement schedules is also welcomed. The other views provided by BIM software, while perhaps not making it onto the final sheets, are of no less value. The ability to visually distinguish reinforcement categories in 3D, plan or section allows the designer to quickly orient themselves in regard to the scope of work. The 3D views especially capture the intricate layering of the rebar.

Designing foundation piles, while not strictly part of my job, does hinge on the engineers’ ability to establish the geometry and static forces of the pile. But thereafter this information goes to the pile manufacture to actually design the pile dimensions necessary to resist said forces. The reason the industry is structured like this, to the best of my understanding, is because pile design, like other engineering disciplines, requires very specific knowledge (and perhaps software) to complete. That interface between engineering disciplines becomes crucial to avoiding extensive pre/post-processing and rework. In the linked article’s example, the ability to do calculations in Excel – where engineers are most likely most comfortable - and then smoothly bring those changes back into the model can save a lot of time and increase accuracy. Not a lot of deals in life can achieve both so please raise a glass and toast BIM technology!

Non-Linear Structural Forms

With my background in architectural history I was intrigued by AEC Magazine’s article about non-linear structural forms which aim to span a maximum distance with minimal materials because it highlighted several unique architectural examples. If I understand the article correctly, non-linear structural forms are characterized by always being strictly in tension or compression. This includes the use of stretched membranes, flying buttresses, etc. This is in contrast to traditional structural forms like walls, columns and beams which can have a variety of forces acting upon them in combination but whose structural calculations result in linear equations.

Readers lucky enough to make it to the end of the article will have a new word for the day (at least I did): Tensegrity. It’s defined as the structural condition where elements are either in pure tension or compression with no two compression elements (theoretically) in contact. The article uses the wonderful example of Brisbane’s Kurilpa Bridge (pictured) to illustrate this point where it’s easy to see these forces in balance to create the span. Buckminster Fuller developed the theory while the above project was completed by Arup - and though I often give them a rough time on social media in jest - here again their engineering is totally on point. As an interesting side note, Arup used custom written software to integrate their calculations into Oasys’ GSA engineering software which from what I can gather specializes in non-linear statics resulting in a bridge that is truly a unique structure.   

Parametric Structural Design

I’ve been excited for this post for a couple of days now. I’ve been all over computational architecture for the last year and this Autodesk example extends that theory further. The ability to quickly test engineering design iterations with Dynamo has all sorts of interesting applications in finding novel and efficient engineering solutions. Dynamo, for those not in the loop, is an open source visual programming add-on for REVIT. But architecture is not the only domain parametric design can be utilized. Autodesk React Structures, based loosely on the REVIT BIM platform, is one of Autodesk’s enterprise level structural engineering applications. The program comes with a build in set of comprehensive programming tools for the analysis of complex structures. But adding the visual Dynamo interface lets designers try many complex structural variations to see if anything interesting or inspiring comes out. Normally to redo these engineering calculations strictly for experimentation is cost prohibitive. Much of the linked example might be over the reader's head - as it was mine - but I thought it a worthy example to squirrel away because it tells a story of where the AEC industry is going. 

Modern Building Systems Effect on Modern Building Design

The development of modern building systems like HVAC and potable water had a major impact on the character of architectural design. Never before had the architect been asked to design sophisticated ventilation networks or heavy structural countermeasures. Increasingly complex public health and building safety were the pressures driving these changes and each was absent from the minds of Greco-Roman and Renaissance architects et al.

The need for interdisciplinary collaboration nor articles calling for its implementation are anything new. The linked article makes a strong point near the end of the piece arguing BIM establishes just such functionality but first the bad: There is little effort on the part of the author to analyze current obstacles to collaboration. In my experience designers, consultants, and contractors on a project - each fundamentally necessary to its completion - can be downright hostile to each other. Certainly there is enough blame to go around for this situation, nor can this behavior be assumed to be universal but in the meantime, it must be said, the article sheds little light on why collaboration fails in AEC projects.

Where I do express agreement is that - at least technologically – as building information modelling has matured collaboration has improved. This has allowed different disciplines to offer and receive accurate information earlier in the building design process leading to fundamentally more valuable buildings.  Quoted in the article, Andrea Scotti, director of Burohappold Engineering in Abu Dhabi, explains BIM's role in collaboration thusly: “In terms of difficult projects to coordinate on, I would say that a few years ago this would have been technical in nature, related to complex structures or geometry. Nowadays, technology is there to help reduce these complexities.” 

Improving High Rise Building Structural Design

We don’t often get the opportunity to cover innovations in the structural design of high rise buildings because improvements are so often incremental. The development discussed below is perhaps most applicable to locations with high seismic loads, a topic put on my radar after my experiences living overseas.

Kinetica, a University of Toronto research spin-off, is attempting to bring a new product to market for damping seismic and wind loads in high rise structures. I’m not sure how much market demand exists for such an innovation as their work seems to have been heavily subsidized. Be that as it may, their technology indisputably offers benefits for the construction of concrete high rise buildings.

Comparing first steel structures; it’s a rather trivial process to place decoupling devices in either braces or walls because they’re exposed. However, with cost structures changing, more and more projects are utilizing concrete in high rise construction. The long thick walls which characterize concrete high rise construction lack areas to integrate high performance damping systems in. This leads to the use of heavy counterweights high above to dampen swaying. 

The damper braces introduced by the company are made of large sheets of a rubber-like material — known as a viscoelastic polymer — sandwiched between steel plates. (Seen in yellow in the above picture during the testing phasing.) They work by absorbing vibrational energy and transforming it into heat energy, thereby reducing the stresses transferred into adjacent structural elements. The company’s founders Michael Montgomery and Constantin Christopoulos’ key insight was “to realize that there was a place to put viscoelastic dampers into a concrete building after all: the coupling beams. These smaller, horizontal concrete beams are used on each floor to connect the two giant walls together and increase the rigidity of the building. Under high winds and earthquakes, these smaller coupling beams become heavily stressed, so replacing them with something that can absorb energy — like a viscoelastic damper — seemed like an ideal solution.”  

Foster and Partners Integrated Design Approach for Structural Engineering

I recently read the linked Institution of Structural Engineers article with great interest hoping to learn about Foster + Partners’ internal structural engineering program. Sadly the article was a bit thin on grand strategic vision instead focusing on Foster + Partners’ recently completed Château Margaux in France. The wine making factory - given its Sir Normal Foster design credentials and nomination for a 2015 Structural Award in the commercial or retail structures category - make it one of the most expensive and elite wine-making facilities in the world. Custom details provided for the project like the “tree” columns (an image of which accompanies this post) must make the building a joy to work in. Unfortunately the subject of the article, Roger Ridsdill Smith, structural engineering program lead, had little to say on the topic of integration.

                                                                                                                                                                

To be fair, Smith might have been very forthcoming during the interview but, for “journalistic” reasons, the interesting bits cut. The article for me boils down to Smith’s claim the best projects arise from a “totally integrated approach”. It’s 2015 and I just don’t think that statement is groundbreaking anymore. Isn’t multi-disciplinary integration assumed to be a best practice in building design? Are people making arguments to the contrary I’m not aware of? What I was really hoping for from the article was insights on how to best bring the project team together for common cause and what obstacles can normally be expected.

To that end, The Perfect Architecture Company blog invites Roger Smith to be interviewed here about integration in the building design process should he wish to share his thoughts on this important matter to a grateful audience.