Shape and Topology Optimization Methodologies Used in Architectural Design

Architects and engineers both employ iterative multi-stage design procedures, starting with initial conceptual design and progressing to more detailed final design. The conceptual design for an architect can be very abstract, with content that might be more poetic than geometric. On the other hand the conceptual design for a structural engineer tends to be more concrete in nature, i.e. the choice between an arch and a suspension structure, between concrete and steel. Still, these differences tend to vanish in some of the most successful examples of integrated architectural and engineering design.