Automated Generation of Structural Solutions based on Spatial Designs to serve as a Support Tool in early Stages of the Design Process

Design processes are sets of complex, iterative and multidisciplinary procedures applied to achieve particular solutions. To aid in the understanding of design processes and to support the involved actors, a "Research Engine" (RE) is being developed. The RE is a set of computational processes which work together, in a cyclic manner, to simulate the interaction between spatial designs instances and structural solutions within a design process. This paper presents the first developed phase of the RE; in which the Spatial Design is transformed into a Structural Solution. In other words, given an orthogonal geometry (Spatial Design) this process generates a structure, performs a structural analysis and, consequently, provides an indication of its structural behavior. In early stages of the design process, this phase of the RE could help designers to (1) devise different structural solutions for a given spatial design; (2) to obtain an indication of the spatial consequences of the structural solution; and (3) to predict the structural behavior of the generated solution. Examples illustrate the process in practice during this first phase of the RE, and also show its capabilities in assisting in the integration between spatial and structural considerations within the design process.