Analysis and Design of Building Structures I
GSD 6201, Fall

The course introduces students to the analysis and design of structural elements and systems. The fundamental principles of statics and equilibrium are considered first, followed by a review of loads. These concepts are applied in the context of 2-D trusses. The review of internal forces and moments as well as material strength and stiffness is then followed by the design and analysis of statically determinate steel and timber beams. Students learn to design these systems for allowable deflections, shearing and bending stresses. Column design then introduces the concept of buckling and bracing in depth. System design issues are addressed throughout the semester using contemporary case studies. Stability with respect to lateral loads is addressed in depth. The course concludes with the application of all course material in a design and analysis project.

Analysis and Design of Building Structures II
GSD 6202, Spring

A continuation of GSD 6201, this course introduces more advanced topics such as funicular systems, statically indeterminate structures, pre-stressing as well as surface structures. Specifically, the course introduces students to the analysis and design of structural elements such as 3-D trusses, arches, cables, statically indeterminate beams and frames, concrete beams, columns, plates and slabs as well as simple shells. The use of these elements in a building context and simplified methods for analysis of indeterminate structures as well as easy-to-use computer programs are taught. Issues of seismic design and design of high-rise buildings are discussed. Case studies of sculptures, buildings and bridges are used throughout for class instruction, and students are expected to complete a more comprehensive team design project exploring the correlation between architectural and structural design.

CAD/CAM: Introduction to Applications in Architecture
GSD-6317, Lecture, Fall

Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques have widely pervaded fabrication environments for the production of architecture.

Knowledge of this technology now has become part of the basic skills that design professionals need to possess in order to practice successfully.

This seminar introduces students to the fundamentals of CAD/CAM, with a particular focus on applications in architecture, and with reference to product design and related industries. In a two step approach fundamentals are taught first, and their applications in a research context is pursued next. This year a particular focus is placed on processes and technologies used in manipulating metal. Students are expected to explore metal technologies in their research, and contacts to outside vendors have been established by the instructor to allow the production of castings or sheet metal prototypes that cannot be done in house.

A core question of the course is how building design and component design has been affected by digital design and production techniques methods — methods that allow architects and designers to move beyond conventional design paradigms. In the pursuit of this question students are introduced to the principles of parametric digital modeling, numerically-controlled machines, basic manufacturing processes as well as prototyping techniques, reverse engineering and building systems. Lectures on these topics are accompanied by software and machine demos and lab sessions that introduce both the digital as well as the fabrication environments.

This course uses the GSD's extensive computer-numerically controlled (CNC) fabrication facilities, as well as the traditional wood- and metal shop.

Students are expected to immerse themselves in the software applications needed to generate parametric models (using so-called design development environments such as SolidWorks or Catia) and the machine instructions necessary to operate CNC machines. Two short digital and design-to-prototype exercises allow students to acquire new design and prototyping techniques representative of the digital fabrication age. A longer, final project allows the in-depth pursuit of individual design to fabrication research that explores metallic material formations. The seminar research will also be manifest in an aural presentation that all students will give in class.

The research on CAD/CAM technology in the design profession is contextualized through case studies and visits to local job and prototyping shops — thus providing the needed reality context of CAD/CAM implementations in practice. Students are encouraged to move beyond the current GSD fabrication possibilities by using local outside vendors that produce castings or provide plasma- or water jet cutting services. The final product of the course should be a compelling physical prototype that shows innovative use of CAD/CAM technology. Students can choose to emphasize digital or fabrication aspects, but all have to address both worlds to some degree.

Structural Surfaces
GSD 6408, Fall 2004

It is a common misbelief that curvature automatically lends structural capacities to any surface. While geometry and structural properties are indeed closely related, the precise interdependency escapes simple formulas; it is rather complex. This seminar provides an introduction to structural surfaces through a series of lectures, physical and computational modeling workshops, and design explorations. We generally look at geometry first, then address how different shapes generate structural action, and finally investigate applications in architecture, product design, and related fields.

The basis for understanding structural surfaces is to understand surface geometry. The course begins with an introduction to shapes derived from conic sections, and covers basic issues common to typical convex and concave surfaces, including ruled and developable surfaces. Central here is the topic of curvature, as well as the related topic of geodesics and the notion of parametric representations.

The discussion then moves toward more complex mathematical surfaces, with an emphasis on minimal surfaces. These shapes occur in nature, and they can be derived from physical experiments. They can also be modeled mathematically. We will employ both physical as well as computational models in the exploration of minimal surfaces. Applications for mechanically and pneumatically pre-stressed fabric structures will be discussed in some detail. Reference to other mathematical surfaces are also made, even though their structural properties are far from clear. These shapes include complex, one-sided surfaces such as the Klein Bottle or the Möbius Strip.

Equilibrium shapes are the third and last topic of the course. The seminar introduces students to a variety of physical and computational form-finding techniques and to the analysis of these complex shapes. Case studies highlight the formidable construction challenges of equilibrium shapes in architectural applications, and discuss the impact of computer-aided manufacturing techniques on their making.

The format of the course includes lectures and workshops, research assignments, and design exercises. Software tutorials and computer labs, as well as physical form-finding workshops, are integral parts of the course. Students are introduced to the use of the GSD’s digitizing equipment in the CAD/CAM lab. The qualitative understanding of structural behavior is complemented by an introduction to common computational analysis techniques, including the use of finite-element analysis during conceptual design.

A general familiarity with basic 3D modeling techniques is expected. No prior knowledge of the digital design environments employed in the course is necessary, but a readiness for immersion into unfamiliar computational environments is expected. The course introduces and employs a variety of software environments, including Maya, SolidWorks, and Cosmos Works, as well as Mathematica. Rather than attempting to completely master each environment, we will limit ourselves to very specific aspects, frequently translating data between environments in order to accomplish our goals.

Structures in Design, Module 1
GSD 6402M1, Fall 2003

Why don’t things fall down? Some of us believe that this is a question well worth considering in architecture, and not just a problem that engineers will be addressing once all design decisions have been taken. Structural choices are always design choices, and vice versa. This first module of ‘Structures in Design’ researches structural design in relation to architectural design not to promote that structural issues should be driving the development of a scheme, but to bring structural design to a level of consciousness where it becomes enabler in the creation of a meaningful design. Students can choose two alternative ways of pursuing the course objective:

Both modules of “Structures in Design” are open to students of all levels. The first module is an opportunity to research a particular technology, material, system, case study or other related area of interest. Work in both modules is mostly individual, but group work is possible. The second module then provides the setting to explore structural topics in a design context. There will be a final review for this first module at midterm, at which either the case study or the research project will be presented and discussed.

This is a one-module class that begins in the first half of the term. The course can accommodate up to 10 students.

Structures in Design, Module 2
GSD 6402-M2, Fall 2003

This seminar complements the student’s current or a past studio project with the in-depth study of structures. Alternatively, students can work on a short design problem assigned by the instructor. This is the design of a new roof over the courtyard of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard. Emphasis is on structural issues—this is not a design studio, after all—but these issues are discussed in the context of the larger design strategy.

Both modules of “Structures in Design” are open to students of all levels. Depending on the nature of individual projects and a student’s skill level, the study of structures may include any combination of qualitative and quantitative methods such as the study of systems, precedents, materials, approximate methods (‘rules of thumb’) for the sizing of members, physical study models and computational methods of analysis. After studio reviews and for the given status of the scheme everyone is expected to document how structural issues have been addressed in the design project. There is a final review during the exam week in January.

The format of the seminar includes group meetings with individual presentations and pin-ups, regular desk critiques as well as workshops – all to be determined as the term progresses. This is a one-module class that begins in the second half of the term starting on October 28th. Students are encouraged to register at the beginning of the term, but it is possible to register later (provided there is room) through an ‘Add Module’ petition. The course can accommodate up to 10 students.

Shells, Tensile Structures and Kinetic Systems
GSD 6203, Fall 2001

The integration of Shells, Tensile Structures and Kinetic Systems into architectural projects requires specialized design, construction and material knowledge in order to enable a meaningful and successful collaboration between architects, engineers and manufacturers. The course investigates these advanced topics in structures and building technology through a series of lectures and case studies in combination with design projects and seminar presentations. It also addresses the fundamental difference between such systems and the so-called 'free form' structures, which, with the recent advent of advanced digital design and production techniques, have come within the reach of architectural design.

The course introduces the design fundamentals of shells (concrete and timber) and tensile structures (including tensegrity and membrane structures) and covers their principle structural behavior. Students are expected to employ both physical models and computational tools in the form generation of shells and membrane structures. The course also provides an overview of kinetic systems in architecture and introduces basic principles and design strategies for moveable architectural elements. The spatial analysis and basic structural analysis of kinetic systems are addressed.

The understanding of the structural behavior of shells, tensile structures and kinetic systems is always considered in relation to issues of design. Questions of materials, building construction and detailing are discussed, including a brief review of related Computer-Aided Manufacturing Techniques.