Form Follows Force: A theoretical framework for Structural Morphology, and Form-Finding research on shell structures

Abstract

With the springing up of freeform architectures, the key problem to structural engineers is to generate structural forms with high structural efficiency subject to the architectural space constraints during the conceptual design process. In this research, a theoretical framework for Structural Morphology has been proposed, that provides an effective solution to the problem. To enrich the proposed framework, systematic Form-Finding research on shell structures is conducted.