Integrative structural design of non-standard building systems : coreless filament-wound structures as a case study

Abstract

Our society is experiencing the emergence of novel nonstandard building systems unlocked by digital technologies in the building sector. The utilisation of computational design processes and digital fabrication, coupled with the exploration of new materiality, bring the potential to break with conventional ways of building. However, they also demand new ways of designing and proving the structure's safety. This dissertation aims to develop an integrative structural design methodology and workflow to design, optimise and validate non-standard building systems. Therefore, a multiscale, digital-physical approach is proposed, which combines structural simulation with small-scale models and material testing, allowing the structure's optimisation and proof of safety. The first two chapters explain the research motivation, objectives and contextualisation. Historical remarks are given to understand the evolution of structural design and the key aspects that created innovation and non-standard systems in the past. Coreless filament winding (CFW) is also introduced here as a representative example of non-standard building systems. Chapter three contains the publications that describe the development of the integrative structural design methodologies through coreless filament wound structures as a case study. All the publications are supported by CFW specimens or full-scale built demonstrators, including BUGA Fibre Pavilion, Maison Fibre and LivMatS Pavilion. Chapters four and five summarise the results, generalising the workflow from CFW structures to non-standard building systems into four sub-methods: multi-level modelling and evaluation; structural characterisation; integrative design; and optimisation and safety verification. The discussion locates the integrative structural design in the historical context and analyses the strategies to prove the safety of other non-standard systems. The conclusion emphasises the potential of this methodology to shorten the gap between research and industry, facilitating the realisation of innovative structures.