Design, like everything else in a construction project, is a collaborative effort. Even with digital tools, collaboration across design disciplines is not yet optimal. An experimental project thus set out to test whether algorithmic design could help streamline the interaction between architects and structural engineers.
Design data
originating from an architect is used in several engineering tools for
visualization, analysis, and calculation. Ideally, changes in the architect’s
design would propagate automatically across all the software. Unfortunately, the
process is in fact mostly manual. Hence, the design data is seldom, if ever, in
perfect sync on all systems.
Two
companies, A-Insinöörit and Geometria Architecture, joined forces to test
algorithmic design collaboration to see if it could solve many of today’s data
exchange problems. They found their solution could speed up the process,
eliminate many errors, and alleviate the frustration of doing updates by hand.
It could also have a positive effect on the final outcome of the project.
The Emerging Algorithmic
Design
Petteri Karjalainen is a structural engineer at A-Insinöörit. He has been working over the last two years in the company on international projects, especially with industrial clients. He’s also involved in developing an algorithmic design process, the theme of his recently completed master’s thesis.
“We have been speeding up our efforts in this field. Our company leadership sees potential in the practice and has encouraged me and our computational design team to apply more and more of these advanced methods to company’s daily routines,” says Karjalainen.
Algorithmic
or computational design uses sets of instructions to perform certain tasks, for
example, to generate a digital model of a structure. The instructions have parameters
that generate variations of the same code. Algorithmic design is especially
suited for architectural forms that are non-conventional and that can be
constructed from repeatable elements.
Experimental Architecture
Demanding,
non-traditional forms are the bread and butter for Geometria
Architecture, the
brainchild of two architects, Markus
Wikar and Toni Österlund. The
company is both a design practice and a consultant for architects, engineers,
and contractors. They cover parametric
modeling, algorithm-aided
design, and digital
fabrication.
“At Lahdelma
& Mahlamäki architects, my previous employer, I was in charge of the warped
geometries of POLIN, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw,” Wikar
explains. “Today, the company is our client.”
Algorithmic
design opens new perspectives for architectural expression. It makes the use of
non-conventional forms feasible and cost-efficient to build. In addition, it gives
designers freedom to test and present dozens of alternative solutions, which in
a traditional process would be very time-consuming or simply impossible to do.
Experimenting with
Algorithms
In February
2018, A-Insinöörit and Geometria Architects started experimenting with how to
use algorithmic design for collaborations between architects and structural
engineers. The project got funding from the national KIRA-digi digitalization
program.
They chose
to experiment with an imaginary building, specifically a swimming pool covered
with a steel-structured curved roof. The aim was to test typical design tasks
and data exchange between the designers. The platform that the experimenters
used was Grasshopper, an extension of the Rhinoceros software.
The
architect designed several variations of the roof. The final design was formed
with parable arcs, generated through so-called dynamic relaxation. This
resulted in an optimized structural system.
After the
architect had algorithmically created the curved roof and generated the line
geometry, the structural engineer took over the data. They used
Grasshopper-RFEM Link; an extension developed by A-Insinöörit. This allowed
them to analyze and dimension the structural steel framework created in Grasshopper.
Furthermore, they used Trimble’s Grasshopper-Tekla Live Link to build a BIM
model of the structure.
Making Data Flow Between
Systems and Processes
The
experimenters needed a way to exchange algorithmic data between the architect
and the structural engineer over the design life-cycle. They chose Speckle, a
cloud-based platform. It links the data intelligently between design parties
and models.
Speckle allows
designers to share geometric data across several design models and to create an
aggregated model from discrete parts. This means that when, for example, the
architect changes the original geometry, the data is automatically updated
wherever it has been referenced. After the engineer has designed the structural
model, they, in turn, can provide the architect with the updated data.
In its
purest form, all design data resides in the algorithms and the traditional BIM
model is generated only if and when it’s needed. However, at the moment, a
combination of algorithms and models seem to work best.
The Automated Future
“Imagine we
modeled a double-curved shell exactly as it will be built. Say, someone then comes
up with a change that implies a one-degree change to every rod of the
structure. With traditional methods, the change would imply a huge job, but with
an algorithm, it would be a breeze,” Karjainen proclaims.
Both Wikar
and Karjalainen believe that the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence represents
a huge potential for the whole industry. They will not only enhance
collaboration, but also free designers from routine tasks that in many cases
constitute the larger part of their work. Furthermore, algorithmic design makes
digital fabrication a reality. Building parts can be robotically manufactured
in factories and installed at the construction site.
After the
KIRA-digi experiment, Geometria Architecture has continued to collaborate with
A-Insinöörit around the Helsinki–Tallinn tunnel project. It will be the world’s
longest undersea railway tunnel.
“We have
been thinking through the data interfaces with the around 10 disciplines
involved. We’re figuring out the smallest common design denominators or
parameters that need to be exchanged between parties,” says Wikar. “Our goal is
to allow the experts to focus on their core competence areas and not to have to
struggle with software issues,” he concludes.
The project illustrations are courtesy of A-Insinöörit and Geometria Architecture
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