Welcome to

DESIGN-OCH KONSTRUKTIONSDAGEN 2016

The Structural Design Day, November 21, 2016, Gothenburg

Photo: Karin Holmgren

Shell Structures

Arranged by
Structural Engineering Centre at Chalmers
A joint event between Chalmers,
Samhällsbyggarna and Brosamverkan
 Photo: Karin Lundgren

Design- och konstruktionsdagen (The Structural Design Day) is an annual

activity that aims at providing inspiration and incentives for design and engineer-
ing, reflecting the needs of modern societies for sound and sustainable devel-
opment. The theme of 2016 is “Shell Structures”.

How sustainable are shell structures? Pros and cons in a nutshell

Holger Wallbaum
The presentation will elaborate on the strength and
challenges of shell structures as an advanced build-
ing construction. A holistic scan will be presented
addressing the various dimensions of sustainability
as well as judging the capabilities from a life cycle
engineering standpoint

Holger Wallbaum is a Full Professor in sustainable

building at the Division of Building Technology,
research group Sustainable Building, and in the
Area of advance Built environment. Holger works
within sustainable building on concepts, tools and
strategies to enhance the sustainability perfor-
mance of construction materials, building prod-
structures, sustainability assessment tools for
ucts, buildings as well as entire cities.
buildings, social-cultural and climate adapted
His main research interests are related to design concepts, the refurbishment of the build-
ecological and economic life cycle assessment ing stock as well as dynamic building stock
of construction materials, buildings and infra- modeling and its visualization.
The equilibrium equations: How do shell structures stand up?
Chris Williams
Shell structures carry load through an interaction
of their curvature with internal forces. The lecture
will use the concept of statical determinacy to
explain what is necessary in the shape of a shell and
the way it is supported in order for it to carry load
efficiently.

Chris J K Williams, Chalmers University and Bath

University. Chris worked with Ted Happold and Ian
Liddell at Ove Arup & Partners on the Frei Otto
gridshells in Mannheim. This lead to his research
interest in the relationship between geometry and
structural action, and collaboration on a number of
projects including the British Museum Great Court Architects), Gardens by the Bay glasshouses (Atel-
Roof (Buro Happold and Foster + Partners), the ier One, Wilkinson Eyre and Grant Associates) and
Savill Building (Buro Happold and Glenn Howells the Netherlands Maritime Museum (Ney + Partners).

Novel Shell Structures: Learning from the Master Builders.

Philippe Bloch
This lecture will present new computational
form-finding and optimisation approaches for
exploring three-dimensional equilibrium shell
structures based on the stability analysis of Gothic
masonry vaults. Thanks to intuitive graphical meth-
ods, the designer gains control over the exploration
of form, which allows for the design of vaults with
little or low-quality material or the design of
efficient and expressive surface structures.

Several projects will demonstrate the power of these

innovative methods for the safety assessment of surface structures, specialising in unreinforced
historic masonry vaults with complex geometries masonry vaults and thin concrete shells. Within the
and for the design, engineering and fabrication of Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research
novel masonry shells, which range from sustainable (NCCR) - Digital Fabrication, the BRG develops
construction solutions for developing countries to innovative structural design strategies using
unique, unreinforced vaults in tile or cut stone. bespoke prefabrication. Block studied architecture
and structural engineering at the VUB, Belgium,
The last part of the lecture will demonstrate how we and MIT, where he earned his PhD in 2009. With the
can learn from the Master Builders to design better BRG and as partner of Ochsendorf DeJong & Block
– well beyond masonry. (ODB Engineering), he applies his research into
practice on the structural assessment of historic
Philippe Block is Associate Professor at the Insti- monuments and the design and engineering of novel
tute of Technology in Architecture at ETH Zurich, compression structures. He has won numerous
where he directs the Block Research Group (BRG) awards for his research, has lectured at top universi-
together with Dr. Tom Van Mele. The BRG focuses ties and leading engineering and architecture offic-
on equilibrium analysis, computational form es worldwide, and is regularly invited as an expert
finding, optimisation and fabrication of curved consultant.
Foster + Partner’s design of the New Mexico City Airport
Andy Coward, Jens Olsson and Martha Tsigkari
Shell design has long been an area of interest at Jens Olsson
Foster + Partners. The use of in-plane strength and Jens is a member of the
stiffness has allowed efficient and beautiful struc- Applied research and
tures to be built, such as the Great Court roof at the development team at
British Museum. The design for the new Mexico Foster + Partners. He grad-
City Airport continues this long running theme, uated from Chalmers in
posing an array of interesting challenges in terms 2014 with a double degree
of scale, complexity, site conditions, structure and from the Architecture and
planning requirements. Martha Tsigkari, Jens Engineering program. He
Olsson and Andy Coward from Foster + Partners has previously been work-
will talk about the project’s background and show- ing with the computational
case how specific project challenges were tackled research group at Buro Happold, and specialises in
by the use of computational methods. The focus structural analysis, optimisation and complex
will be on the process of generating the roof geome- geometries in the context of architecture and
try, which involves the application of methods such design. He’s work ranges from design orientated
as dynamic relaxation, mesh smoothing and vari- project work to development of software and work
ous bespoke geometry-manipulation techniques, flow automation, the main contribution being the
all tied together in an parametric workflow. With new airport for Mexico city.
an 0.5 million square meters footprint, the new
international airport in Mexico city is going to be
Martha Tsigkari
amongst the largest airports in the world, and the
Martha Tsigkari is a
roof, the largest continuous roof to date.
Partner and a member of
the Applied Research and
Andy Coward Development (ARD) group
Andy graduated from at Foster + Partners. She is a
Cambridge University in specialist in a wide range of
2006, having been spon- areas including Perfor-
sored by Faber Maunsell mance-driven Design and
(now AECOM). Spending Optimisation, Interfaces &
the subsequent five years Interaction, Design-to-pro-
with AECOM in UK was duction and Fast Feedback & Integration. Her
considered to be very good work incorporates the development of simulation
training for a career in tools, the introduction of integrated processes and
structural engineering, the creation of physical interfaces. She has provid-
with exposure to some great projects and innova- ed solutions for hundreds of diverse projects such
tive designs, e.g. the new Spartak Moscow football as the new airport for Mexico City, Lusail Iconic
stadium. Unusually, every project he worked on Stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the new
went on to be built. He also spent nine months on metro stations for Jeddah, UAE’s 2015 Expo
secondment as a site engineer with Kier London. Pavilion, the Sheikh Zayed Museum and YachtPlus
This was valuable experience which helped him Boat Fleet. She is a member of the Royal Institute of
become chartered with ICE in 2010. In 2011, Andy British Architects, a tutor at UCL and a juror at AA.
moved to join the new engineering team at Foster + She has taught, lectured and published on the
Partners, where he is now an Associate Partner. He subjects of BIM, parametric and algorithmic
describes this as an exciting and challenging role, design internationally.
with a relentless focus on design quality and further
exposure to a host of fascinating projects, such as
the new Mexico City Airport and the redevelop-
ment of Marseille Vieux Port.
DESIGN-OCH KONSTRUKTIONSDAGEN 2016

Beyond-Bending, ArmadilloVault. Photo: Iwan-Baan

Shell Structures
The Structural Design Day, November 21, 2016, Gothenburg

PROGRAMME
13:00 Introduction and welcome Henriette Söderberg, Chalmers

13:10 How sustainable are shell structures?

Pros and cons in a nutshell Holger Wallbaum, Chalmers

13:30 The equilibrium equations:

How do shell structures stand up? Dr Chris Williams, Chalmers & University of Bath

14:15 Novel Shell Structures:

Learning from the Master Builders Philippe Block, ETH Zurich

15:00 Coffee

15:30 Foster + Partner’s design Andy Coward, Jens Olsson & Martha Tsigkari,
of the New Mexico City Airport Foster + Partners

16:30 Questions and converstion Morten Lund, Chalmers

17:00 Mingle, light snacks

Konstruktionscentrum
The Structural Engineering Centre at Chalmers The seminar will take place at:
“Konstruktionscentrum” is the main organizer of RunAn, Chalmersplatsen 1, Kårhuset (Student
the event. The Structural Engineering Centre is a Union Building). Chalmers,
collaboration body that aims at providing a platform Gothenburg.
for effective and broad interaction between research Documentation
and education activities performed at the university Available for members after completion of the
and industry, primarily in the construction sector. seminar, www.konstruktionscentrum.chalmers.se
The purpose is to develop and strengthen the theme
of structural design. Members of the Structural Information
Engineering Centre are actors in the construction Further information can be obtained from:
sector and representatives of major stakeholders Mohammad Al-Emrani, tel 031-772 2258
who, together with Chalmers, share the objectives [email protected]
of developing, supporting and promoting knowl-
edge and skills in this area. This is done by targeted
training, research and seminars where participant
persons and entities are actively involved in both
planning and implementation of the activities in the
center.

Program committee
Mohammad Al-Emrani, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers
Mohammed Hoseini, Public Roads Administration - Norway
Martin Laninge, Brosamverkan
Sören Lindgren, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers
Morten Lund, Architecture, Chalmers
Karl-Gunnar Olsson, Architecture, Chalmers
Roland Olsson, WSP
Mario Plos, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers
Members of the Structural Engineering Centre: