Integrated Spatial-Structural Optimization in the Conceptual Design Stage of Project

Abstract

Healthcare design projects require the careful integration of spatial and structural requirements. Today, design teams typically resolve these requirements in two separate, largely sequential steps. In the first step, architects leverage their experience and vision to develop space plans that address program and goals. Next, based on the architect’s recommended design, engineers generate and refine a structural design to address structural requirements. This manual process produces a very limited number of non optimal spatial and structural design solutions with unclear decision rationale. This paper presents the Integrated Spatial-Structural Optimization (ISSO) decision making methodology. ISSO supports design teams by helping them generate, analyze, and manage a vast number of integrated spatial and structural solutions. ISSO features a bi-level optimization workflow that has been customized for spatial and structural design of healthcare facilities. The paper describes implementation in the Dynamo parametric modeling platform, and retrospective validation of the algorithm and workflow on an industry case study to demonstrate how ISSO can help design teams generate, analyze, and manage more conceptual design options.