The arrangement of columns and their spacing in multi-story timber construction is restricted to rectangular grids by the production and shipping sizes of floor assemblies. This is particularly true for hollow box floor systems, for which the punctual supports must be placed at the reinforced edges of the hollow boxes. The arrangement of the columns and their spacing is thereby restricted by the production and shipping sizes of the box ceilings to rectangular grids. To overcome these design limits a new wooden box building system is developed that allows for irregular column layouts through a tailored slab interior design. This development allows for the increased applicability of timber floor systems regardless of site shape or architectural design intent. The slab interior design is dependent on occurring forces and fabrication requirements. Three methods for the internal slab layout are developed and compared: a sequential method, a structurally informed agent-based method, and a geometrically informed agent-based method that uses both a sequential and agent-based approach. The structural performance of each method is compared through the analysis of three reinforcement layouts an architectural testing setup.
BribianIZUsonAAScarpelliniS. Life cycle assessment in buildings: State-of-the-art and simplified LCA methodology as a complement for building certification. Building Environ2009; 44(12): 2510–2520, DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.05.001
2.
ChurkinaGOrganschiAReyerCPO, et al.Buildings as a global carbon sink. Nat Sustainability2020; 3(4): 269–276. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0462-4
3.
KuzmanovskaIGasparriETapias MonnéD,et al.Tall Timber Buildings: Emerging Trends and Typologies. 2018 World Conference on Timber Engineering. Seoul, Korea, Republic of: WCTE, 2018.
4.
KrötschSMüllerL. The development of multi-storey timber construction. In: KaufmannHKrötschSWinterS (eds) Manual of multi-storey timber construction. Munich: Edition Detail, 2018, pp. 10–13.
5.
KaufmannHHußWKrötschS,et al.Structures and support structures. In: KaufmannHKrötschSWinterS (eds) Manual of multi-storey timber construction. Munich: Edition Detail, 2018, pp. 38–49.
6.
HußW. Prefabrication. In: KaufmannHKrötschSWinterS (eds) Manual of multi-storey timber construction. Munich: Edition Detail, 2018, pp. 142–149.
7.
GROPYUS AG. Creating Sustainable Living for Everyone. GROPYUS AG, 2022, https://gropyus.com
8.
KriegODLangO. Adaptive automation strategies for robotic prefabrication of parametrized mass timber building components. ISARC Proc Int Symp Automation Robotics Construction2019; 36: 521–528.
9.
ZölligSFrangiAFrankeS,et al.Timber structures 3. 0–new technology for multi-axial, slim, high performance timber structures. 2016 World Conference on Timber Engineering. Vienna, Austria: WCTE, 2016, pp. 32–40.
10.
BissigDFrangiA. Variantenstudium zur Entwicklung einer zweiachsig tragenden Hohlkastendecke aus Holz (german). Doktorandenkolloquium Holzbau Forschung + Praxis. Stuttgart, Germany: KE University of Stuttgart, 2022, pp. 1–9.
11.
MüllerTBorschewskiDAlbrechtS,et al.The dilemma of balancing design for impact sound with environmental performance in wood ceiling systems—a building physics perspective. Sustainability2021; 13(16): 8715, DOI: 10.3390/su13168715
12.
ContaSHombA. Sound radiation of hollow box timber floors under impact excitation: An experimental parameter study. Applied Acoustics2020; 161: 107190, DOI: 10.1016/j.apacoust.2019.107190
13.
SteadmanP. Why are most buildings rectangular?Architectural Res Q2006; 10(2): 119–130. DOI: 10.1017/S1359135506000200
14.
Svatoš-RažnjevićHOrozcoLMengesA. Advanced timber construction industry: A review of 350 multi-storey timber projects from 2000-2021. Buildings2022; 12(4): 404, DOI: 10.3390/buildings12040404
15.
OrozcoLKrtschilAWagnerHJ, et al.Design methods for variable density, multi-directional composite timber slab systems for multi-storey construction. In: StojakovićVTepavčevićB (eds), Towards a New Configurable Architecture: Proceedings of the 39th eCAADe Conference, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia, 8-10 September 2021. 2021,Brussels, Belgium, pp. 303–312. URLhttp://papers.cumincad.org/cgi-bin/works/paper/ecaade2021_284
16.
KrtschilAOrozcoLWagnerHJ, et al.Conceptual development and comparison of two punctually supported timber slab systems. Doktorandenkolloquium Holzbau Forschung + Praxis. Stuttgart, Germany: KE University of Stuttgart, 2022, pp. 1–8.
17.
StielerDSchwinnTMengesA. Additive Formwork in Precast Construction - Agent-based Methods for Fabrication-aware Modularization of Concrete Building Elements. In: GardnerNHyunKLuoDShethU (eds) Proceedings of the 27th Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA). Sydney, Australia: CAADRIA, 2022, 2, pp. 81–90, DOI: 10.52842/conf.caadria.2022.2.081
AlvarezMWagnerHJGroenewoltA,et al.The buga wood pavilion: Integrative interdisciplinary advancements of digital timber architecture. In: BiegKBriscoeBriscoeDDOdomC (eds) Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture. Austin, USA: ACADIA, 2019, pp. 490–499, DOI: 10.52842/conf.acadia.2019.490
20.
SchwinnT. A systematic approach for developing agent-based architectural design models of segmented shells: Towards autonomously learned goal-oriented agent behaviors. Research reports/Institute for Computational Design and Construction. Stuttgart, Germany: ICD University of Stuttgart, 2021.
21.
SharmaSBTabakV. Rapid agent based simulation of people flow fordesign of spacesanalysis: Design and optimisation. In: Design & decision support systemsConference2008: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 2008, pp. 1–13. Eindhoven, Netherlands.
SchulzCKwanKCBecherM, et al.Multi-class inverted stippling. ACM Trans Graphics2021; 40(6): 1–12. DOI: 10.1145/3478513.3480534
24.
GroenewoltASchwinnTNguyenL, et al.An interactive agent-based framework for materialization-informed architectural design. Swarm Intelligence2018; 12(2): 155–186. DOI: 10.1007/s11721-017-0151-8
25.
SchmeerD. Berichte aus dem Bauwesen. Düren: ShakerDaniel, 2021.
26.
MeibodiMAJipaAGieseckeR, et al.Smart slab. computational design and digital fabrication of a lightweight concrete slab. In: AnzalonePDel SignoreMWitAJ (eds) Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA). Mexico City, Mexico: ACADIA, 2018, pp. 434–443, DOI: 10.52842/conf.acadia.2018.434
27.
LiewALópezDLvan MeleT, et al.Design, fabrication and testing of a prototype, thin-vaulted, unreinforced concrete floor. Eng Structures2017; 137: 323–335. DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.01.075
28.
RozvanyGIN. A critical review of established methods of structural topology optimization. Struct Multidisciplinary Optimization2009; 37(3): 217–237. DOI: 10.1007/s00158-007-0217-0
29.
JipaABernhardMMeibodiMDillenburgerB. 3D-Printed Stay-in-Place Formwork for Topologically Optimized Concrete Slabs. In: BiegK (ed) 2016 TxA Emerging Design + Technology Conference Proceedings. San Antonio, USA: Texas Society of Architects, 2016, pp. 97–107, DOI: 10.3929/ethz-b-000237082
30.
Furnierwerkstoffe GmbH Pollmeier. Furnierschichtholz aus Buche zur Ausbildung stabförmiger und flächiger Tragewerke ”Platte BauBuche S” und ”Platte BauBuche Q Z-9, 2018, pp. 1–838”.
31.
TapiaCStimpfleLAicherS. A new column-to-slab connection for multi-storey timber buildings. Otto Graf J2020; 19: 297–317.
32.
SofistikAG.2020. SOFiSTiK (2020). [Software]. [Accessed 3 March 2022].
33.
Wallner-NovakMKoppelhuberJPockK. Cross-laminated Timber Structural Design: Basic design and engineering principles according to Eurocode. Analysis and Structural Design of Timber Structures. Innsbruck, Austria: ProHolz Austria, 2014.
34.
LloydS. Least squares quantization in pcm. IEEE Trans Inf Theor1982; 28(2): 129–137. DOI: 10.1109/TIT.1982.1056489
