ETH Zürich  |  DARCH  |  ITA  |  Structural Design  |  DOCTORAL THESES  |  SMOOTH POLY-HYPAR SURFACE STRUCTURES 
DE | EN
Smooth Poly-Hypar Surface Structures. A new approach to design freeform surfaces by combining hyperbolic paraboloids
T. Cao
2012 - 2019


The most well-known examples of ruled surfaces, hyperbolic paraboloids (hypar), can be seen as prototypical examples for the integration of architectural and structural design by means of geometry, due to the interplay of their structural and architectural properties. But up to now the full potential of hypars as mediating geometry between architectural and structural design has not been explored yet. This research will investigate the opportunities of using such prototypical examples to introduce structural considerations into the design of a wide range of architectural forms, owning to the geometrical fact that combinations of hypars can approximate all negatively curved shapes. Based on this proposal, an operative method will be developed to allow multiple interactions between structural efficiency and architectural forms starting from decisive early phase of the design process.

last modified 30.10.2015