Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• learn about the design of timber structures, such as tension structures, shells and gridshells.
• learn about the design of lightweight structures, such as tension structures and gridshells.
• gain fluency with modern parametric design tools and structrial analysis software, such as Rhino/Grasshopper and Oasys

Content

This project places central focus on design, as may be undertaken in a consultant structural engineering practice. Students will work in small teams to design some innovative lightweight timber structures to satisy a challenging design brief. 

FORMAT

A combination of mini-lectures and design studios, with self-paced learning of background theory and of applicable computational techniques.

ACTIVITIES

The project will be supported by external speakers who are international experts in their fields.

The project will have a design brief requiring the design of two timber structures and a lightweight tension structure for a real client. One timber structure will be a modest residential block that will require full design, detailing and specification. The other will be a more architecturally-adventurous timber gridshell. The tension structure roof design  

Guidance will be provided by world-leading experts. These are still being finalised. In previous years these have included Bill Baker, Ian Liddell and Andrew Lawrence. Bill is the Structural Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in Chicago. Bill has been responsible for the design of many of the world's most iconic buildings, including the 824m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest. Ian was formerly the chief structural designer at Buro Happold in Bath, and is one of the world's leading designers of tension stuctures. In particular, Ian was the structural designer of the London Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena). Andrew is a leading designer at Arup in London and was the structural designer of the spectacular Metz Pompidou roof. 

Minilectures will be given by the external experts and by the course leader to explain how to approach the design of timber and lightweight structures of various typologies. 

Simplified analytical theory will be presented which will allow design calculations to be made. For the tension structures   equations via simple Python scripts will be written to solve the systems of nonlinear equations.

Students will be introduced to modern parametric design software such as Rhino/Grasshopper in which design parameters can be explored and developed.

Students will wortk in small teams to develop their designs.

The final output will be  detailed design drawings and specification of the small residential timber building. For the larger structures,  numerical models of the structural behaviour will be submitted, together with a virtual parametric model to showcase the project's architectural features, possibly accompanied by physical models for presentation to the client. 

It is also intended that, as in previous years, students will go on a day trip to London to look at structures. Students will travel in small groups. Train and underground tickets will be provided. The trip will be on a day, possibly a weekend day, that suits the members of each group, and which does not clash with any of the minilectures.

MINI LECTURES

• How to design in timber
• How to design lightweight structures, such as tension structures, gridshells, tensegrity structures, kinetic structures.
• How to use modern parametric design software such as Rhino, with its Grasshopper scripting interface.
• How to use modern structural analysis software such as Oasys
• Basics of physical model building for tension structures

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To learn about the design of lightweight building structures, such as tension structures, shells and gridshells.
• To gain fluency with modern parametric design tools.

Content

This project places central focus on design, as may be undertaken in a consultant structural engineering practice. Students will work in small teams to design an innovative lightweight structure to satisy a challenging design brief. 

FORMAT

A combination of mini-lectures, design studios and model construction sessions, with self-paced learning of background theory and of applicable computational techniques.

ACTIVITIES

The project will be supported by external speakers who are international experts in their fileds. In particular, guidance will be provided by Bill Baker and Ian Liddell. Bill is the Structural Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in Chicago. Bill has been responsble for the design of many of the world's most iconic buildings, including the 824m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest. Ian was formerly the chief structural designer at Buro Happold in Bath, and is one of the world's leading designers of tension stuctures. In particular, Ian was the structural designer of the London Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena).

Minilectures will be given by the external experts and by the course leader to explain how to approach the design of long-span lightweight structures of various typologies. 

Simplified analytical theory will be presented which will allow design calculations to be made, solving the systems of nonlinear equations via simple Python scripts.  

Students will be introduced to modern parametric design software such as Rhino/Grasshopper in which design parameters can be explored and developed.

Students will wortk in small teams to develop their designs.

The final output will be a numerical model of the structural behaviour, a virtual parametric model to showcase the project's architectural features and a physical model for presentation to the client. The scope and scale of the physical model will be governed by whatever COVID restrictions are in place during the project period. Ideally the physical models could have dimensions of several metres, like a small pavilion, but smaller models may be accepted if there are impediments to the creation of larger constructions.

MINI LECTURES

• How to design lightwieght structures: tension structres, gridshells, shells, tensegrity structres, kinetic structures.
• How to use modern parametric design siftware such as Rhino, with its Grasshopper scripting interface.
• Basics of physical model building

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To learn about the design of lightweight building structures, such as tension structures, shells and gridshells.
• To gain fluency with modern parametric design tools.

Content

This project places central focus on design, as may be undertaken in a consultant structural engineering practice. Students will work in small teams to design an innovative lightweight structure to satisy a challenging design brief. 

FORMAT

A combination of mini-lectures, design studios and model construction sessions, with self-paced learning of background theory and of applicable computational techniques.

ACTIVITIES

The project will be supported by external speakers who are international experts in their fileds. In particular, guidance will be provided by Bill Baker and Ian Liddell. Bill is the Structural Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in Chicago. Bill has been responsble for the design of many of the world's most iconic buildings, including the 824m Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest. Ian was formerly the chief structural designer at Buro Happold in Bath, and is one of the world's leading designers of tension stuctures. In particular, Ian was the structural designer of the London Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena).

Minilectures will be given by the external experts and by the course leader to explain how to approach the design of long-span lightweight structures of various typologies. 

Simplified analytical theory will be presented which will allow design calculations to be made, solving the systems of nonlinear equations via simple Python scripts.  

Students will be introduced to modern parametric design software such as Rhino/Grasshopper in which design parameters can be explored and developed.

Students will wortk in small teams to develop their designs.

The final output will be a numerical model of the structural behaviour, a virtual parametric model to showcase the project's architectural features and a physical model for presentation to the client. The scope and scale of the physical model will be governed by whatever COVID restrictions are in place during the project period. Ideally the physical models could have dimensions of several metres, like a small pavilion, but smaller models may be accepted if there are impediments to the creation of larger constructions.

MINI LECTURES

• How to design lightwieght structures: tension structres, gridshells, shells, tensegrity structres, kinetic structures.
• How to use modern parametric design siftware such as Rhino, with its Grasshopper scripting interface.
• Basics of physical model building

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To study precedents of successful structural-dominated projects through presentations and research
• To gain an understanding of the design process in the built environment
• To undertake a design project which embeds creativity, structural approximation and construction process

Content

This project runs in conjunction with Constructionarium. At its heart lies the premise that design in the built environment is an extraordinarily creative endeavour, which relies on a vast range of influences. You will undertake a design project in small groups, which will instil in you the importance of the holistic design process, which includes how to have ideas, how to test these ideas using simple tools, how to use approximation and qualitative analysis as part of your structural development of the concept, sketching, model making and communication to your peers. To help you along, you will receive extended presentations from leading structural designers. You will also benefit from workshops exploring the design process and how you have your best ideas, on an individual basis. These will be run by a leading trainer for our industry in design thinking. By the end of this project you will have a profound feel for the creative and technical design process, and you will know what it feels like to experience those first hours and days of excitement at the start of the design for a major project where initial conceptual design decisions will stick throughout the subsequent months, or even years, of construction. The project timing is subject to change, but will be such that students will be able to attend Constructionarium in Norfolk during this design project.

FORMAT

Students work in small groups to undertake the conceptual and preliminary design of a wonderful building, across an holistic set of design criteria.

ACTIVITIES

• Thursday 10 May to Friday 18 May:  Design an extraordinary building through the conceptual phase, supplemented by presentations and workshops.
• Attend Constructionarium.
• Monday 28 May to Friday 8 June: Carry out the preliminary design of the building and present this design.

MINI LECTURES

• Introduction to building design
• Tensile structure design
• Timber and bamboo
• Compressive shell structure design
• Fabric formed concrete
• The holistic design process

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• introduce the principles of project planning and project management
• familiarise students with both common and modern techniques used in construction practice
• introduce students to both existing and new construction technologies
• familiarise students with the importance of scheduling, teamwork and financial control
• emphasise the importance of health and safety
• emphasise the important link between practical aspects on site and engineering theory
• enable networking between students and industry collaborators

Content

Welcome to "the apprentice meets construction"!

This project involves the construction of a scaled-down version of a real-world structure, in this case a bridge, in West Cambridge. Each student will be in a team of up to 25 students, working with a contractor (Laing O'Rourke Plc.) and a consultant (Ramboll) to build a bridge. The project is designed to provide students with a practical introduction to existing construction techniques commonly used in practice as well as the latest cutting -edge digital technologies. Because of the requirement for a two-week block of time, students may only take GD1 Sustainable Offsite Construction with GD2 Structural Modelling. The Sustainable Offsite Construction module is a fantastic opportunity for civils students to learn important skills using a hands-on realistic construction project exercise. It is also the case that, while the credit available for the project is the same as for all of the others, the overall time commitment is slightly greater - buts its popularity with previous cohorts indicates that it is well worth the opportunity.

Students will be tasked with building a 10 m bridge at an ‘onsite location’. For the coming academic year, this will be over a small creek at the West Cambridge site. The 2023-24 bridge will be based on Laing O’Rourke’s state-of-the-art modular ‘Digital Bridges’ using reusable construction elements donated by Laing O’Rourke. The bridge will be modular such that the students will first need to assemble the various components ‘offsite’ (in this case, the civil engineering structures laboratory, also in West Cambridge). The various assembled components will then be transported to ‘site’ using suitable lifting/transport machinery for final onsite assembly. A full 3D digital model will also be developed to enable high-quality as-built surveys and to deploy the latest technologies as a demonstrator of the ‘future of construction’. Therefore, structural designs and drawings will be provided to the students in advance and many parts will be pre-fabricated.

Students will choose, or be allocated, a role within the team. The team members then have to work together to decide how the structure is to be assembled and transported to site. The students will also need to plan in advance how the structure can be disassembled. Engineers from Laing O'Rourke and Ramboll will assist but it will be the responsibility of the students to produce a sustainable, safe, and economic scheme, and then to put it into action. The marking will be on an individual basis, based on an interim 'Client' interview, individual report and a final presentation. These marks will be awarded by CUED staff but will take account of information from the Consultant and the Contractor.