The Practical Application of Structural Optimisation in the Design of the Louvre Abu Dhabi

Buro Happold has been working on the engineering design for the new branch of the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi alongside Architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The centre piece of the design is a 180m diameter steel space-frame Dome, providing shading for the museum buildings below and supported at only four points. This paper describes the optimisation design process from the initial concept work alongside the architects, through to the detailed analysis of the structure. It begins with an explanation of the creation of a set of processes allowing rapid generation of varying geometries using parametric modelling and the benefits of this when considering the efficiency of schematic designs. The evolution of these processes into a tool suitable for the detailed design of a long-span structure and the incorporation of the various practicalities of steel design is documented.