Bridging the Gap WS2021 - workshop briefs

Bridging the Gap Design modelling for timber structures

Tom Svilans, Paul Nicholas, and Cecilie Søs Brandt-Olsen

February 22-26, 2021

Workshop description This workshop introduces students to large-scale timber design through a particular case study: a bridge between the KADK workshops. The top floors of the two workshop buildings are to be connected with a timber bridge, facilitating the movement of people, materials, and machinery between the two wood workshops.

This is an opportunity to showcase the potentials of timber construction as well as the design ambitions of the Academy at large. With this specific site and brief, the student teams will develop convincing design proposals that integrate constraints and concerns in timber fabrication, as well as schematic structural simulation Royal Danish Academy

that will guide the outcome. Proposals will be presented as detailed design concepts, backed up by studies of structural simulation, material specification, and strategies for durability and shelter.

The workshop will start with an overview of timber construction particularly glulam-based structures - and will present fabrication-led modelling tools that will facilitate the design and analysis of timber elements. Structural analysis will be introduced as a way to gauge the stability and feasibility of the proposals, as well as a way to inform further design choices, such as member sizes and structural strategies.

Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Design parameters

• The bridge is to be covered, but doesn’t have to be completely enclosed (semi-exterior space).

• The bridge must accommodate pedestrian traffic as well as the movement of materials and machinery, in both directions simultaneously.

• The bridge will be supported at either end. Intermediate supports (columns) are also possible.

• The bridge must be primarily made of mass timber elements, however other materials can be incorporated (cladding, joints, secondary elements).

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Walkthrough Students will: • Create a design sketch of the proposed bridge, its precise placement, structural strategy, and any other architectural design drivers.

• Use provided modelling tools to create a 3d model and illustrate the material consequences of their design, such as material specifications, areas of high curvature, and areas of end-grain exposure.

• Simulate the structural performance of the bridge and derive appropriate section sizes for the timber members.

• Combine all of these tools and techniques to develop and present a bridge proposal, in the style of a competition entry (rendering, plans, sections, main features, material concerns, how the timber concerns are addressed / solved)

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Learning objectives

• Explore the design space of glue-laminated timber structures.

• Deploy timber modelling tools and structural simulation to build a strong design proposal.

• Gain a grounded understanding of the design and execution of timber projects.

• Gain an understanding of the constraints, limitations, and key concerns of building in free-form timber: • Lamella thicknesses (curvature) • End-grain exposure (durability and strength) • Anisotropy • Timber joints • Can integrate complementary methods of reflection (synthetic proposition, implication and evaluation) for supporting design progression.

• Knowledge of professional dependencies related to timber glulam structures.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Deliverables

• Presentation of the design concept of the bridge.

• Documented design development and detailed exploration of potentials and decision-making.

• Structural studies that demonstrate the role of simulation - form-finding or optimization.

• Detail and cladding studies that demonstrate a strategy for durability.

• Presentation of inhabitation, usage, and the experiential qualities of the bridge.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap Part 2 Design modelling for timber details

Tom Svilans and Paul Nicholas

April 6-12, 2021

Workshop description This workshop continues the investigation of design modelling for timber structures with a closer look at connections, detailing, and materiality. The bridge designs from the first workshop are revisited, with a particular attention to how they are connected, fabricated, and assembled.

This is an opportunity to delve deeper into the particular concerns surrounding designing and building with timber, and a chance to propose material strategies that can capitalize on the anisotropic nature of timber.

Proposals will select areas of high complexity in the bridge designs and take them to the next level, considering Royal Danish Academy

how these areas work structurally and what the implications are for fabrication and assembly. They will be presented as detailed studies into connections, informed by structural simulation and fabrication limitations.

The workshop will start with an overview of timber connections and will present modelling workflows to tackle the geometric variability of joints as well as methods of producing fabrication data. Guest presentations by experts in the field will provide insights into existing projects, design parameters, and related work in the field of timber design and construction.

Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Design parameters

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• The bridge designs from the first part of the workshop will be used as the basis for further work.

• Joints and connections will be analyzed to assess their performance profile and demands.

• Strategies for digital fabrication will be developed to propose how complex areas of the design can be managed and executed.

• Assembly sequencing and planning will be detailed to propose how the bridge will arrive on-site and be put together.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Walkthrough Students will: • Revisit the design proposal of the bridge from the previous workshop and select an area of particular complexity: the meeting of several beams, the interface between the bridge and the surrounding buildings and ground plane, and / or the interface between structural and cladding layers.

• Use the showcased modelling strategies to create variable connections that can handle a range of input parameters and illustrate how these can solve a multitude of similar conditions.

• Use the simulation tools learned in the previous workshop to gain more detailed insights into the required performances of the chosen area and connections.

• Derive a fabrication and assembly strategy for realizing the bridge.

• Combine all of these tools and techniques to develop and present a proposal for detailing, fabrication, and assembly.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Learning objectives

• Explore the design space of glue-laminated timber structures in further detail.

• Deploy timber modelling tools and structural simulation to develop appropriate connections and fabrication strategies.

• Gain a grounded understanding of the detailing, fabrication, and erection of timber projects and how those influence the overall design.

• Gain an understanding of DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly).

• Can integrate complementary methods of reflection (synthetic proposition, implication and evaluation) for supporting design progression.

• Knowledge of professional dependencies related to timber glulam structures.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Deliverables

• Presentation of the detail, fabrication, and assembly concepts of the bridge.

• Documented design development and detailed exploration of potentials and decision-making.

• Structural studies that demonstrate how simulation informs joint geometries and their performance.

• Fabrication data for a subset of the connection details and a simulated production process.

• Presentation of the assembly steps and requirements.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Format and schedule

Students will work in groups of 3 (since there are 11 4th year students, there will be one group of 2).

Day

Description

Tuesday, Apr. 6 Wednesday, Apr. 7 Thursday, Apr. 8 Friday, Apr. 9

Morning

Introduction, presentation of timber connections and detailing

Afternoon

Concept ideation, research

Morning

Engineering approach to timber detailing (Andy Coward)

Afternoon

Development of timber connections

Morning

Timber engineering and timber projects (Klaas De Rycke)

Afternoon

Fabrication data for timber details

Morning

Digital Timber Construction (Christopher Robeller) Design for assembly (Ayoub Lharchi)

Afternoon Monday, Apr. 12

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Assembly strategies Design review with external guests

Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of Rhino is required. Basic knowledge of Grasshopper is required, but this will also be explored in the workshop. For these, at least one member in each group should have a Windows version of Rhino.

The workshop will continue with the exploration of GluLamb and Karamba 3d.

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Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap 2

Format and schedule Students will work in groups of 3 (since there are 11 4th year students, there will be one group of 2).

Day

Description

Monday, Feb. 22

Morning

Introduction, overview of modelling tools, presentation of timber construction

Tuesday, Feb. 23 Wednesday, Feb. 24 Thursday, Feb. 25 Friday, Feb. 26 Monday, Feb. 29

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Afternoon

Concept ideation, research

Morning

Introduction to structural simulation

Afternoon

Structural strategy development

Morning

Material specification, testing complexity

Afternoon

Feasibility exploration

Morning

Durability and detailing

Afternoon

Work session

Morning

Work session

Afternoon

Interim review Design review with external guests

Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of Rhino is required. Basic knowledge of Grasshopper is required, but this will also be explored in the workshop. Specific modelling tools in the form of plug-ins for Rhino will be provided. For these, at least one member in each group should have a Windows version of Rhino.

The tools that will be introduced are: • GluLamb - A toolkit for modelling free-form timber structures in Rhino / GH. • Karamba 3d - A structural simulation package for Rhino / GH.

Royal Danish Academy

Computation in Architecture - Bridging the Gap