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A data-driven computational framework is applied for the design of optimal ultra-thin Triangular Rollable and Collapsible (TRAC) carbon fiber booms. High-fidelity computational analyses of a large number of geometries are used to build a database. This database is then analyzed by machine learning to construct design charts that are shown to effectively guide the design of the ultra-thin deployable structure. The computational strategy discussed herein is general and can be applied to different problems in structural and materials design, with the potential of finding relevant designs within high-dimensional spaces.

A composite system, made from layers of perforated plywood and latex film, together with ropes and rubber seals, performs as a flexible concrete formwork. In our research we investigated whether such a system could yield more than only one single repetitive concrete form. We sought to reduce the amount of material consumed by conventional formwork and we conceived formwork as part of the design process rather than a technical means during construction. We worked as a team of architects, structural engineers and artists and through the confluence of computational design, digital fabrication, material simulation and prototyping., QC 20170615

Computational design techniques are changing the role of analysis tools in collaborations between architects and engineers. Digital feedback loops of synthesis, analysis and evaluation establish a ‘process of becoming’ in which structural solutions evolve and adapt to specific requirements. Highly differentiated constructions are possible when digital techniques are fully integrated in design and production. Klaus Bollinger, Manfred Grohmann and Oliver Tessmann discuss these novel paradigms in relation to recent projects from engineering office Bollinger + Grohmann., QC 20150218The article has been previously published in the magazine Architectural Design - The New Structuralism (ISSN 0003-8504)(EISSN 1554-2769) in 2010. The book is a critical anthology of seminal articles.

Collaborative design resembles a discussion or conversation. Ideas are bounced off the different members of a design team. Depending on the task and the point in time the engineer joins a design team different structural parameters contribute to an integrated solution. The paper will present different strategies we pursue involving geometry, topology and materiality. Geometry plays a major role for structural performance in large-scale structures and at the same time embodies the architectural design approach. Thus a solution which suits different requirements has to be negotiated. Topology of surface- and vector-active systems within a predefined shape or envelope can become the objective of evolutionary design processes where structure adapts to specific needs. Materiality is embedded into a larger context of material systems that include digital workflow and fabrication., QC 20120216

Computational design techniques are changing the role of analysis tools in collaborations between architects and engineers. Digital feedback loops of synthesis, analysis and evaluation establish a ‘process of becoming’ in which structural solutions evolve and adapt to specific requirements. Highly differentiated constructions are possible when digital techniques are fully integrated in design and production. Klaus Bollinger, Manfred Grohmann and Oliver Tessmann discuss these novel paradigms in relation to recent projects from engineering office Bollinger + Grohmann., QC 20120209

The Sphere is a sculpture designed by Mario Bellini for the lobby of the Deutsche Bank head office in Frankfurt, Germany. A spherical network with a diameter of sixteen meters spans between the twintowers. This paper describes the ollaborative design process of architects, engineers and contractor. The various geometrical implications from design synthesis to fabrication and the exchange of information between the different parties are discussed. The concept of a spherical network was transformed into a series of sixty intersecting rings that act together as one sculptural and structural object. The ring configuration is derived from an evolutionary design process that includes geometrical and structural fitness criteria. Evolutionary design, structural analysis and fabrication demanded different geometrical representations that addressed the various constraints emerging during design and construction., QC 20120420

New structural mechanics insights have always had repercussions on the design procedures for engineers. The structural typologies resulting from these procedures privilege certain solutions while dismissing others. Timber bridge constructions of different periods exemplify this development. Computational design tools offer new possibilities for design procedures that overcome predefined structural typologies and evolve highly context sensitive and adapted structures. An evolutionary design approach for a vector active pedestrian bridge in Germany is presented in this paper., QC 20120216

Der Planungsprozess von Tragwerken ist in den meisten Phasen von digitalen Technologien durchdrungen. Fast immer ist das rechnergestützte Arbeiten eine Optimierung bisheriger Prozesse, da repetitive Vorgänge automatisiert werden können und der Computer eine hohe Präzision liefert. Darüber hinaus verändern sich planerische Paradigmen wenn digitale Techniken konzeptionell und allumfassend verwendet werden. Im Folgenden werden anhand einer Reihe von Projekten aus dem Büro Bollinger + Grohmann der konzeptionelle Einsatz computerbasierter Methoden in frühen Entwurfs- und Planungsphasen erläutert. Computer können viele Entwurfsvarianten erzeugen und bewerten und dadurch vorher nicht gekannte Lösungen auffinden. Tragwerke werden generiert, sofort evaluiert und für spezifische Situationen adaptiert., QC 20120216

p. 1586-1598, The Grossmarkthalle in Frankfurt/Main is an example for the implementation of the developments current at the time in terms of material technology and also the development of building methods for reinforced concrete shell structures. The research on spatially curved structures made of reinforced concrete, was inter alia initiated by Walther Bauersfeld. In collaboration with the engineers of the company Dyckerhoff & Widmann it was possible to develop a new manufacturing method for thin walled domes made of reinforced concrete. The basis for these shells was a steel grid as a geodesic dome. This development was facilitated by the then newly available option to apply concrete on any surfaces using airpressure (air placed concrete). This knowledge on material and manufacturing processes provided the basis for the construction of the Grossmarkthalle. In parallel the theoretical analysis which focused on simply two dimensional curved surfaces was further developed. The utilization of the building has changed, so the status quo of the Grossmarkthalle was analysed. Following that a respective concept for refurbishment was developed.

The overall performance of an architectural project results from balancing a complex network of multifaceted, interrelated requirements that originate from multiple sources. In such a collaborative design process the authors conceive of structure as an integral part of architecture. An approach to improve communication, collaborative design procedures and data exchange by a parametric 3d model and scripting procedures which act as an interface between architects, engineers and fabrication will be exemplified in this paper by a museum extension in Frankfurt/Germany., QC 20120426

Bollinger + Grohmann conceive of structure as an integral part of architecture. The overall performance of an architectural project results from negotiating and balancing a complex network of multifaceted, interrelated requirements. As the design of structure is just one aspect within such a network of manifold relations, the appropriate structural systems cannot be found through single‐parameter optimisation. The specific forms derived through such a multiparametric design process need to be analysed in order to identify zonesP of favourable structural performance. The related structures adapt their load‐bearing capacities to the form and its particular local forces. Thus the resultant structures are highly specific, differentiated systems rather than variations of a defined typology. Nowadays, engineers are able to calculate complex load‐bearing systems. A structural design does not necessarily have to be broken down into its individual components to be assessed. The entire system can be investigated in all its parts together with the interactions between them., QC 20120426

p. 654-665, Form finding of shells for building structures is normally mainly influenced by structural reasons. Therefore form finding methods as turned hanging models or pneumatic structures have been developed. The task for the structural engineers of the ROLEX LEARNING CENTER in Lausanne differed from this traditional approach. The intension of the designing architects SANAA was to create an architectural landscape which allows a natural separation of the different zones of use. Therefore a compromise between the structural and the architectural requirements had to be found during the form finding process. Form finding in the traditional sense changes so in a Pareto optimization.

p. 640-653, The architectural concept of the ROLEX LEARNING CENTER in Lausanne envisaged an architectural landscape which which allows a natural separation of the different zones of use. The resulting structural solutions were not only during the design process a challenge for the structural engineers but also during execution. This paper will therefore present the different partly unusual approaches found for the formwork and the reinforcement of the shells of the ROLEX LEARNING CENTER.

In the 20th century, the classification of structures according to defined building typologies was central to engineering design. Here Professor Klaus Bollinger, Professor Manfred Grohmann and Oliver Tessmann of design engineers Bollinger + Grohmann challenge this preconception. By considering each structure as an individual case in point with inherently complex behaviour, they move away from the notion of a building being a variant of an established type. They further discuss this mode of working, in relation to their own recent projects, in terms of relevant methods and generative techniques, as well as the respective consequences that it has had on the relationship between force, form and structural performance., QC 20120209

Die Tragwerksplanung bedient sich in der täglichen Arbeit Formalismen und Methoden, um Sicherheit und Vorhersagbarkeit von Tragstrukturen gewährleisten zu können. Formalisierung bedeutet, dass Denkprozesse in Handlungsprozesse überführt werden. Eine Reihe von Regeln stehen zur Verfügung, die die Handlungsalternativen einschränken und bereits geleistete Verständnisarbeit funktionalisieren. Einmal gewonnene Erkenntnis ist theoretisch für jedermann erlernbar und gehört zum ‘öffentlichen Denken’. In unserer Arbeit mit Architekten werden die Rahmenbedingungen für Tragwerke aufgeweitet. Der Entwurfsprozess liefert Erkenntnisse, die zur Hinterfragung der Anfangsbedingungen führen und damit eine erneute Iteration erfordern. Tragwerke entstehen im Dialog mit allen Planungsbeteiligten. Der Tragwerksentwurf ist nur ein Aspekt in einem komplexen Netzwerk von Anforderungen, die ins Gleichgewicht gebracht werden müssen., QC 20120216

Die Autoren Bollinger und Grohmann betrachten Tragwerke als integrale Bestandteile von Gebäuden. Der Tragwerksentwurf ist lediglich ein Knotenpunkt in einem mannigfaltigen Netzwerk, das Formen, Räume und Tragwerke hervorbringt, die nicht eindimensional optimiert werden können. Die Formen, die diesem multidimensionalen Findungsprozess entstammen, müssen analysiert werden, um Bereiche mit günstigem Tragverhalten darzustellen. Die dazugehörigen Tragwerke folgen dieser Form und passen ihre Wirkungsweise dem lokalen Kraftfluss an. Statt vorhandene Tragwerkstypologien zu variieren, kommen Mischsysteme zum Einsatz, die sich an spezifische Anforderungen anpassen können. Ingenieure benutzen genauso wie Architekten digitale Werkzeuge in ihrer Arbeit, jedoch unterscheiden sich die benötigten Daten voneinander. Das Architekturmodell wird durch Volumen und Oberflächen repräsentiert, während das Modell des Ingenieurs Achslinien und -flächen von tragenden Bauteilen benötigt. Diese Informationen werden auf Grundlage der Architekturmodelle im Ingenieurbüro generiert., QC 20120522

In diesem Buch werden die Resultate des interdisziplinären Projekts "InExTerior Structures" anschaulich dargestellt. Aufgabe war der Entwurf eines Pavillons aus UHPC (Ultra High Performance Concrete). Dieser sollte die herausragenden Eigenschaften des Materials präsentieren.Die Studierenden entwickelten regelbasierte Entwurfskonzepte mithilfe von 3D Modelliersoftware, CNC gefräste Betonschalungen und prototypische Panelle. Ziel war die Umsetzung eines Entwurfs bzw. Bauteils im Originalmaßstab. Das Projekt wurde an der Universität Kassel in Kooperation von Architekten, Produkt-Designern und Bauingenieuren entwickelt., QC 20150223