Calibrated and Interactive Modelling of Form-Active Hybrid Structures

Form-active hybrid structures (FAHS) couple two or more different structural elements of low self weight and low or negligible bending flexural stiffness (such as slender beams, cables and membranes) into one structural assembly of high global stiffness. They offer high load-bearing capacity at a fraction of the weight of traditional building elements and do so with a clear aesthetic expression of force flow and equilibrium. The design of FAHS is limited by one significant restriction: the geometry definition, form-finding and structural analysis are typically performed in separate and bespoke software packages which introduce interruptions and data exchange issues in the modelling pipeline. The mechanical precision, stability and open software architecture of Kangaroo has facilitated the development of proof-of-concept modelling pipelines which tackle this challenge and enable powerful materially-informed sketching. Making use of a projection-based dynamic relaxation solver for structural analysis, explorative design has proven to be highly effective.