Credits: XLS

In this day and age, standard structural engineering goes beyond looking at design elements against strength and stiffness. It focuses on the Climate Emergency, and has the ambition to be lean, not just as the amount of materials used, but also through the ability for elements to be adapted over time, dis-and reassembled.

Through this structural essentials course we will address how to design structures fit for the future.

The course consists of three parts, divided within three days of the workshop: 

1. Structural typologies for structures which can adapt over their lifetime; 
2. Calibrating / understand the difference between the modelled computer analysis and the structural test;
3. Carbon – the calculation and the discussion

(1) We will look into how to design structural typologies which are linked to reducing Carbon emission, from extending existing buildings making families of design reusing the same elements, to pre-ampting how a structure would be extended over its life.  We will sketch structural principles, build 2D analysis models and compare the impact of structural  parameters. This includes understanding material choices linked to performance and applying the different structural loads acting on structures, understanding internal loads and the structural response, i.e how specific typologies transfer loads and impact of support conditions to the behaviour.

(2) We will test a series of structural beams linked to the typologies explored in (1). These beams all attempt to reflect an aspect of circular design. We will compare our physical test to a structural analysis, using both line elements and 2d elements, showcasing how a structural analysis stays a simplification of reality. We will reveal and review other impacts/ discrepancies due to fabrication or construction affecting the structural performance. We will assess the failure mechanism and compare the physical performance to the default capacity and embed the results back into the structural analysis.

As a cohort we will compare the different performances, structural behaviours and opportunities.

(3) We will also assess the carbon impact of the variations we are structurally testing, aiming to focus not only on embodied carbon as the material choice, but also through defining impacts of reuse and extended life span design.

Learning Objectives

At course completion the student will:

• Understand the fundamentals of structural design through physical testing and computational structural analysis with Karamba;
• Understand how to set up a basic structural analysis, strategically change parameters and understand and respond to structural analysis results. i.e. apply feedback loops;
• Relate structural design to construction and fabrication impacts. Translate digital analysis and structural performance to material design constructs;
• Relate structural principles to carbon assessment.