Abstract
Advances in the digital arena have provided additional tools for the exploration of architectural designs and testing of architectural ideas. New tools based on parametric modeling allow architects and engineers to investigate designs of generative forms and surfaces of previously unseen complexity. The latest developments in rapid prototyping and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) techniques offer new means of studying the tectonics and spatial qualities of structures with complex geometry, yet these “free-form” geometries, if they are ever to be realized, must respect the constraints of structural and constructional realities. This paper presents a user-friendly approach to the adjustment of digitally generated forms at the conceptual stage of architectural design. Adjustment is performed with the aim of improving structural performance, constructional efficiency, and feasibility of fabrication without radically changing the architectural intent. Structural performance is enhanced by fine-tuning the geometry, while constructional and fabrication efficiency is enhanced by developing mass-customized joints and members with adjustable lengths, capable of supporting a “free-form.” The approach is tested in the architectural curricula as a design studio assignment for a canopy for the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi Province, China, which has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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