Workshop: Circular Economy in Structural Design with parametric engineering tools (Karamba3D) - January 11-15, 2021

Circular Economy in Structural Design with parametric engineering tools (Karamba3D)
January 11-15, 2021

This workshop will incorporate carbon footprint evaluation and circular economy into a structural design workflow, with a focus on timber structures. Through the combined use of parametric tools for structural design such as Karamba3D, and optimization tools such as Octopus, comparative strategies will be used to mediate between purely structural and environmental criteria, suggesting a more holistic design process.

In the context of the climate emergency, architects and engineers try to reduce the environmental impact of structures through a shift in their design process. The use of recycled material plays a major role in this approach. How can we design sustainable and smart structures by intelligently using recycled elements? Many factors such as the history of the elements, their condition, or their location influence the design, the carbon footprint, and the price. Parametric structural design tools, coupled with multi-dimensional optimization methods, can help to explore the design space and evaluate designs concerning those criteria.

The workshop will focus on principles about recycled materials in the building industry, coupled with an introduction to parametric structural design and optimization tools. The participants will work during the whole week on the design of a pavilion by applying the learned principles and using an available database of existing recycled timber elements. Lectures from professionals and researchers working in the field of circular economy in architecture and construction supplement the workshop.

Workshops organizers and tutors, in a joint effort with the Reflow Parisian consortium (including Fab City Grand Paris, the City Council of Paris and the association Arslonga), aim to build the pavilion designed during the workshop in the spring of 2021 with the participation of the workshop participants.

Complete details and registration…


Posted Dec 24, 2020 by Carlos Perez on Rhino News, etc.