Structural Lay-Out Optimization of Steel Structures

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In the initial stages of the design process of large structures a number of key conceptual decisions need to be made,which have a prominent influence on the material use, carbon footprint and construction time. For smaller, 'typical'structures, experience and rules of thumb can be used to arrive at an efficient solution. However, for larger atypical orarchitecturally unique structures (e.g. large roof spans in stadiums, skyscrapers, etc.), it is not at all obvious whichstructural lay-out will result in an optimum solution, while at the same time satisfying the constraints of strength, stability,serviceability and resistance against disproportionate collapse. Conversely, innovative structural lay-out solutions oftencontribute to creating architecturally iconic structures (e.g. skyscrapers with an exoskeleton). The project aims to exploreadvanced optimization techniques to obtain steel-framed structural configurations, optimized against a multi-objectivetarget. Given the typically very large search space, combined with the time-consuming character of individual detailedstructural analyses, it is likely that Artificial Intelligence algorithms will be able to significantly facilitate and speed up thesolution process, and this option will be explored. As a practical outcome, the project aims to provide a pathway towardsa designer-oriented tool which implements the developed algorithms.