
The Airshell Prototype
This paper by Alessandro Liuti, Sofia Colabella, and Alberto Pugnale, presents the construction of Airshell, a small timber gridshell prototype erected by employing a pneumatic formwork.
Application of BIM Tools in Parametric and Generative Design for the Conception of Complex Structures
The present research applies the Parametric Design (PD) and Generative Design (GD) for the generation of complex structures, through the BIM methodology, being implemented in design phase of a new modern proposal for Pavilion J1 of the National University of Engineering from Perú.
The research aims to: Study the PD and GD considering the interoperability provided by BIM tools, propose procedures that help solve PD and GD problems, understand the benefits of process automation through generative and parametric algorithms.
The conception and design phase of projects are developed in a traditional way using CAD Softwares for drawing plans or BIM Softwares for the design and/or modeling of structures, carrying out manual tasks either for the extraction of measurements, exchange of information or modeling, this implies a lack of efficiency in many processes because despite having modern computational tools, the full potential they offer is not used.
This is reflected in the productivity of the construction sector as it is one of the lowest compared to other sectors such as manufacturing, commerce, agriculture.
Due to this problem, new technologies were studied, such as evolutionary algorithms supported by parametric design for the conception and design of structures.
Subsequently, as a test, this new methodology was applied to various types of structures, testing the parametric behavior and understanding the operation of these new methodologies.
As a result of the previous tests, key procedures were defined to cover parametric and generative problems, developing algorithms in textual code (Python), visual algorithms and applying generative algorithms (NSGA-II); capable of creating structures automatically adapting to the designer’s criteria.
Based on the last stage of the PD and GD procedures, the algorithms for the formulation of the structure were implemented in Block J1, demonstrating the applications and benefits in various tasks such as modeling, loads generation, structural design and software interoperability.
Parametric design is a theme explored several decades ago applied in different professional fields to create complex patterns, geometries that imitate nature or complex figures, whether in art, music, medicine, robotics, architecture and engineering.
While generative design, is a tool has been developing with great force and applies evolutionary approaches imitating natural genetic processes, complements parametric design in the search for optimization of a problem to the point that the design is automated, leaving the creation of solutions to the machines. based on the designer’s criteria.
Being the field of architecture the most relevant in these methodologies assisted from the beginning by CAD tools which have evolved over the years nourishing with greater geometric, computational and visual capabilities. By exploiting computing capabilities, attractive, modern and futuristic designs have been achieved.
This paper by Alessandro Liuti, Sofia Colabella, and Alberto Pugnale, presents the construction of Airshell, a small timber gridshell prototype erected by employing a pneumatic formwork.
In this paper by Gregory Charles Quinn, Chris J K Williams, and Christoph Gengnagel, a detailed comparison is carried out between established as well as novel erection methods for strained grid shells by means of FE simulations and a 3D-scanned scaled physical model in order to evaluate key performance criteria such as bending stresses during erection and the distance between shell nodes and their spatial target geometry.
In this paper by Frederic Tayeb, Olivier Baverel, Jean-François Caron, Lionel du Peloux, ductility aspects of a light-weight composite gridshell are developed.
In this paper by Julian Lienhard, Holger Alpermann, Christoph Gengnagel and Jan Knippers structures that actively use bending as a self forming process are reviewed.
Parametric Tools for Architects & Designers @2025
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