Planungsprozess komplexer Strukturen - Interaktion zwischen Architektur und Tragwerk

Design process of complex structures - Interaction between architecture and structure

The discipline of structural engineering has always been of great importance for architecture. Architects like Antoni Gaudi, Felix Candela or Frei Otto have strongly influenced the architecture and particularly the structural design by their extraordinary view regarding structures. In the past, the development of special structures often required a long editing process. Numerous tests using models were usually accompanied by countless calculation proofs. The digital age allows developing complex shapes until implementation far more precise and faster. Using iterative or evolutionary generation processes, today highly sophisticated support systems come into being. The basis of such processes is firstly the precise definition of the requirements for the structure. The resulting parameters enable the computer to generate a multitude of variations in very short time. With an individual weight functioning of these parameters, the structural engineer controls the generation process. This design process is not compatible anymore with a conventional design process as it is described in the scope of work of the German HOAI. During classical design phases a gradual increase of the level of detail is defined. Whereas the early finding and weight functioning of the relevant parameters, which are necessary for the planning in an overall complex process, requires already a more precise detailing in the pre-design phase.