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New Algorithm Lets Architects Design Stunning Curved Structures in Minutes
https://scitechdaily.com/new-algorithm-lets-architects-design-stunning-curved-structures-in-minutes/By University of Tokyo
Thanks to computer numerical control (CNC) fabrication technologies, the method may also be applied to design-laminated timber gridshells. Credit: ©2025 Masaaki Miki and Toby Mitchell CC-BY-ND
A new NURBS-based algorithm is revolutionizing gridshell design by enabling faster, smoother, and more flexible shape-finding.
A Faster Way to Shape Lightweight Free-Form Structures
A researcher at the University of Tokyo and a structural engineer based in the United States have created a new computational form-finding method that may significantly influence how large, lightweight architectural structures are designed. The approach is tailored for gridshells, which are thin, curved surfaces formed from a network of intersecting structural members. Their technique relies on NURBS surfaces, a familiar digital surface format in computer-aided design (CAD), and greatly cuts down on the amount of computing required. A process that once needed 90 hours on a high-end GPU now finishes in roughly 90 minutes on a standard CPU.
Architects place great importance on surfaces that can hold their own weight. Many visually striking structures fall into the category of shells, which have traditionally been built from reinforced concrete. Today, however, designers are trying to limit concrete use because of cost, waste, and growing interest in more transparent or visually appealing materials such as glass. This shift has encouraged wider exploration of gridshells, which use intersecting curves made of metal, glass or timber to span large areas without internal supports.
Why Gridshells Are Attractive for Large Public Spaces
Gridshell structures work well for covering broad interiors without columns. They appear in locations such as train station entrances, updated courtyards in historic buildings, and open public plazas. Well-known examples include the British Museum’s Great Court, the glass roof of the Dutch Maritime Museum, and the Moynihan Train Hall in New York. While these projects show how effective gridshells can be, designers have lacked a standardized computational method capable of handling the full variety of shapes they would like to produce.
Masaaki Miki of the University of Tokyo and Toby Mitchell of the U.S. engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti collaborated on a technique that offers far more freedom in shaping these structures. Their algorithm identifies the optimal geometry for gridshells, even when the overall form is highly complex, while still maintaining structural reliability.
. . .
A researcher at the University of Tokyo and a structural engineer based in the United States have created a new computational form-finding method that may significantly influence how large, lightweight architectural structures are designed. The approach is tailored for gridshells, which are thin, curved surfaces formed from a network of intersecting structural members. Their technique relies on NURBS surfaces, a familiar digital surface format in computer-aided design (CAD), and greatly cuts down on the amount of computing required. A process that once needed 90 hours on a high-end GPU now finishes in roughly 90 minutes on a standard CPU.
Architects place great importance on surfaces that can hold their own weight. Many visually striking structures fall into the category of shells, which have traditionally been built from reinforced concrete. Today, however, designers are trying to limit concrete use because of cost, waste, and growing interest in more transparent or visually appealing materials such as glass. This shift has encouraged wider exploration of gridshells, which use intersecting curves made of metal, glass or timber to span large areas without internal supports.
Why Gridshells Are Attractive for Large Public Spaces
Gridshell structures work well for covering broad interiors without columns. They appear in locations such as train station entrances, updated courtyards in historic buildings, and open public plazas. Well-known examples include the British Museum’s Great Court, the glass roof of the Dutch Maritime Museum, and the Moynihan Train Hall in New York. While these projects show how effective gridshells can be, designers have lacked a standardized computational method capable of handling the full variety of shapes they would like to produce.
Masaaki Miki of the University of Tokyo and Toby Mitchell of the U.S. engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti collaborated on a technique that offers far more freedom in shaping these structures. Their algorithm identifies the optimal geometry for gridshells, even when the overall form is highly complex, while still maintaining structural reliability.
. . .