Performance assessment strategies; a computational framework for conceptual design of large roofs

Using engineering performance evaluations to explore design alternatives during the conceptual phase of architectural design helps to understand the relationships between form and performance; and is crucial for developing well-performing final designs. Computer aided conceptual design has the potential to aid the design team in discovering and highlighting these relationships; especially by means of procedural and parametric geometry to support the generation of geometric design, and building performance simulation tools to support performance assessments. However, current tools and methods for computer aided conceptual design in architecture do not explicitly reveal nor allow for backtracking the relationships between performance and geometry of the design. They currently support post-engineering, rather than the early design decisions and the design exploration process. Focusing on large roofs, this research aims at developing a computational design approach to support designers in performance driven explorations. The approach is meant to facilitate the multidisciplinary integration and the learning process of the designer; and not to constrain the process in precompiled procedures or in hard engineering formulations, nor to automatize it by delegating the design creativity to computational procedures. PAS (Performance Assessment Strategies) as a method is the main output of the research. It consists of a framework including guidelines and an extensible library of procedures for parametric modelling. It is structured on three parts. Pre-PAS provides guidelines for a design strategy-definition, toward the preliminary parameterization process. Model-PAS provides guidelines, procedures and scripts for building the parametric models. Explore-PAS supports the solutions-assessment based on numeric evaluations and building performance simulations, until the identification of a suitable design solution. PAS has been developed based on action research. Several case studies have focused on each step of PAS and on their interrelationships. The relations between the knowledge available in pre-PAS and the challenges of the solution space exploration in explore-PAS have been highlighted. In order to facilitate the explore-PAS phase in case of large solution spaces, the support of genetic algorithms has been investigated and the exiting method ParaGen has been further implemented. Final case studies have focused on the potentials of ParaGen to identify well performing solutions; to extract knowledge during explore-PAS; and to allow interventions of the designer as an alternative to generations driven solely by coded criteria. Both the use of PAS and its recommended future developments are addressed in the thesis.Architecture Engineering and TechnologyArchitecture and The Built Environmen

Performance-based parameterization strategies: A theoretic framework and case studies

In this paper, alternative approaches to structure the parametric geometry in relation to information on various performances are described and exemplified. They relate to different levels of knowledge that concern the performances considered in the process and which are available to the designer while the parametric model is being set. Atheoretic framework embeds the different approaches, for which the use of parametric modelling is structured in three phases: strategy-definition; model-building; and solution-assessment. The phases and their interrelations are discussed. Finally, four case studies are presented, focusing on the relation between the knowledge available in strategy- definition and the exploration occurring in solution-assessment.Architectural Engineering +TechnologyArchitecture and The Built Environmen

Toward an Environmental Database: Exploring the material properties from the point cloud data of the existing environment

The utilization of point cloud as a 3D laser scanning product has reached acrossmulti-disciplines in terms of data processing, data visualization, and dataanalysis. This study particularly investigates further the use of typical attributesof raw point cloud data consisting of XYZ (position information), RGB (colourinformation) and I (intensity information). By exploring the optical and thermalproperties of the given point cloud data, it aims at compensating the material andtexture information that is usually remained behind by architects during theconceptual design stage. Calculation of the albedo, emissivity and the reflectancevalues from the existing context specifically direct the architects to predict thetype of materials for the proposed design in order to keep the balance of thesurrounding Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Therefore, architects can have acomprehensive analysis of the existing context to deal with the microclimatecondition before a design decision phaseDesign Informatic

Interdisciplinary parametric design: The XXL experience

Focusing on large span structures for sport buildings, the paper tackles the role of parametric modelling and performance simulations, to enhance the integration between architectural and engineering design. The general approach contrasts post-engineering processes. In post-engineering, technical performances are considered in late stages of design and tailored upon preconceived and constraining architectural solutions. Contrarily, the paper advocates the use of engineering (including structural) performances to drive creativity and innovation in conceptual design. It presents examples of research-based education, in which parametric modelling and engineering performance simulations are used in accordance to this approach. An interdisciplinary Master Design Course is presented. The course is concerned with complex horizontal large span building structures; it is tutored by academic and professional experts; and it simulates real processes. The students work in multidisciplinary teams. In each team, a student is responsible for a discipline (architectural design, structural design, envelope design, climate design and computational design). The collaborative process occurs based on computational tools, parametric methods and interdisciplinary performance evaluations. Each specialist works on 3D parametric models, to investigate aspects relevant for the specific discipline. Each specialist also shares a number of parameters across disciplines. Individual models are then integrated into shared core models. The process involves all team members; and the computational designer of each team organizes and coordinates the process. Examples of student-works are discussed regarding how parametric modelling (coupled with performance analysis – i.e. structural and multidisciplinary performances) supports design explorations for interdisciplinary performance-based design, from conceptual to detailed design. The paper critically addresses the success and difficulties of the approach.Architectural Engineering +TechnologyArchitecture and The Built Environmen

Optimisation of Complex Geometry High-Rise Buildings based on Wind Load Analysis

Wind analysis for the structure of buildings is a challenging process. The increasing strength and frequency of wind events due to climate change only add higher demands. In addition, high-rise buildings are growing in number and include many of unconventional shape. Current methods used in practice for calculating structural wind response either do not account for these geometries, such as the Eurocode or are prohibitively time-consuming and expensive, such as physical wind tunnel tests and complex Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. As such, wind loads are usually only considered towards the end of design. This paper presents the development of a computational method to analyse the effect of wind on the structural behaviour of a 3D building model and optimise the external geometry to reduce those effects at an early design phase. It combines Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and an Optimisation algorithm. This allows it to be used in an early design stage for performance-based design exploration in complement to the more traditional late-stage methods outlined above. The method was implemented into a rapid and easy to use computational tool by combining existing plugins in Grasshopper into a single script that can be used in practice on complex shaped parametric high-rise building models. After developing the method and testing the timeliness and precision of the CFD, and FEA portions on case study buildings, the tool was able to output an optimal geometry as well as a database of improved geometric options with their corresponding performance for the wind loading allowingfor performance-based decision-making in the early design phase.Design InformaticsStructural Design & Mechanic

A computational workflow to analyse material properties and solar radiation of existing contexts from attribute information of point cloud data

This paper investigates a prospective application of point cloud data in supporting the contextual analysis of the built environment during the conceptual design process. Often, the complexity of site information causes architects to neglect several relevant properties that may affect environmental performance analysis, especially when dealing with a complex design case. For example, the current approaches of 3D site modelling lack an understanding of the site characteristics of existing environments with respect to either geometrical or material properties. With the advancement of 3D laser scanning technologies, capturing complex information from real contexts offers great possibilities for architects. From geometric and radiometric information stored within point cloud data, this study specifically proposes a novel approach to contextual analysis that considers material aspects and simulates solar radiation in the real environment. In doing so, three computational stages are developed. First, the correction of a raw dataset is designed to not only minimize errors during the scanning process but to also clean the selected dataset. Second, material exploration and the simulation of solar radiation are respectively used to calculate material properties and solar energy in the existing built environment. Third, an integrated environmental simulation aims at identifying materials found in existing areas within a certain level of insolation. As a form of design decision-making support, the present study ultimately generates a computational workflow for analysing the built environment from which architects may conduct a comprehensive analysis of an existing context before initiating design explorationGreen Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Design Informatic

The use and potential applications of point clouds in simulation of solar radiation for solar access in urban contexts

High-performing architecture should be designed by taking into account the mutual dependency between the new building and the local context. The performative architecture plays an important role to avert any unforeseen failures after the building has been built; particularly ones related to the microclimate impacts that affect the human comfort. The use of the concept of solar envelopes helps designers to construct the developable mass of the building design considering the solar access and the site obstruction. However, the current analysis method using solar envelopes lack in terms of integrating the detailed information of the existing context during the simulation process. In architectural design, often the current site modelling not only absent in preserving the complex geometry but also information on the surface characteristics. Currently, the emerging applications of point clouds offer a great possibility to overcome these limitations, since they include the attribute information such as XYZ as the position information and RGB as the color information. This study particularly presents a comparative analysis between the manually built 3D models and the models generated from the point cloud data. The modelling comparisons focus on the relevant factors of solar radiation and a set of simulation to calculate the performance indicators regarding selected portions of the models. The experimental results emphasize an introduction of the design approach and the dataset visibility of the 3D existing environments. This paper ultimately aims at improving the current architectural decision of support environment means, by increasing the correspondence between the digital models for performance analysis and the real environments (context of design) during the conceptual design phase.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Design Informatic

Optimization of complex-geometry high-rise buildings based on wind load analysis

As technology advances, architects often employ innovative, non-standard shapes in their designs for the fast-growing number of high-rise buildings. Conversely, climate change is bringing about an increasing number of dangerous wind events causing damage to buildings and their surroundings. These factors further complicate the already difficult field of structural wind analysis. Current methods for calculating structural wind response, such as the Eurocode, do not provide methods for unconventional building shapes or, in the case of physical wind tunnel test and in-depth computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, they are prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. Thus, wind load analysis is often relegated to late in the design process. This paper presents the development of a computational method to analyze the effect of wind on the structural behavior of a 3D building model and optimize the external geometry to reduce those effects at an early design phase. It combines CFD, finite-element analysis (FEA), and an optimization algorithm in the popular parametric design tool, Grasshopper. This allows it to be used in an early design stage for performance-based design exploration in complement to the more traditional late-stage methods outlined above. After developing the method and testing the timeliness and precision of the CFD, and FEA portions on case study buildings, the tool was able to output an optimal geometry as well as a database of improved geometric options with their corresponding performance for the wind loading.Design InformaticsStructural Design & Mechanic

Identifying the surface materials of the existing environment through point cloud data attributes

The prospective application of 3D laser data scanning provides numerous possibilities for investigating environmental performances for architectural design. One of the possibilities includes the practical usability of point cloud data in examining the existing environment. Exploiting this potential would help to increase the information on properties of the real context, which currently often lack during the conceptual design process. As part of this general goal, this research particularly investigates the potentials of the surface attributes contained in the point cloud data such as color, position, and intensity information. The extraction of this information allows mapping of the distribution of surface materials of the existing environment by considering the intensity and the albedo values. The outcome of the research constitutes a catalogue of surface materials that are useful for architects as a decision support environments. In parallel with computational design flow, this research ultimately aims at delivering a novel method for architects to perform site analysis comprehensivelyDesign Informatic

Preface

CAAD Futures is a biennial international conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design under the umbrella of the CAAD Futures Foundation, and it is active world-wide in advancing and documenting related research. On 5–7 July 2023, the 20th CAAD Futures conference was hosted at Delft University of Technology. The CAAD Futures Foundation was established in 1985, holding the first conference on 18–19 September of that year at the very same University. The return of the conference to Delft for its 20thedition offered a chance to reflect on the past, present and future role of Computation in Architecture and the Built Environment. With reference to the theme of “INTERCONNECTIONS: Co-computing beyond boundaries”, CAAD Futures 2023 reflected on the role of computation to interconnect in and for Architectural Design.Digital TechnologiesArchitectural Technolog