Author: E. Piermarini (BuroHappold Hong Kong), H. Nuttall (BuroHappold Hong Kong), R. May (BuroHappold Bath) and V. M. Janssens (BuroHappold Hong Kong)
1 March 2016
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E. Piermarini (BuroHappold Hong Kong), H. Nuttall (BuroHappold Hong Kong), R. May (BuroHappold Bath) and V. M. Janssens (BuroHappold Hong Kong)
The Structural Engineer, Volume 94, Issue 3, 2016, Page(s) 12
This paper describes the digital parametric design and fabrication optimisation that was carried out on the recently-completed Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies building in Doha, Qatar. The processes, tools and techniques used are described, with background given about the issues and decisions that led to their development and implementation. The benefits we believe these tools brought to the project are also discussed, from the point of view of both the building’s construction and Arup’s internal workflow. The paper focuses on the building’s roof structure, which is completely free-form, architecturally defined by a 3D doubly-curved NURBS surface. The roof’s surface area is approximately 13 500m2 and is constructed from curved plate girders, each one unique. The roof’s geometry ranges from areas with a radius of curvature of approximately 500m, therefore relatively flat, to areas of high curvature with a radius of 5m or less.
We continue this section with another steel quiz brought to you by the SCI. This month’s topic is bolts. Answers will be published in the April issue.
In this section we shine a spotlight on papers recently published in Structures – the Research Journal of The Institution of Structural Engineers. Structures is a collaboration between the Institution and Elsevier, publishing internationally-leading research across the full breadth of structural engineering which will benefit from wide readership by academics and practitioners. Access to Structures is free to Institution members (excluding Student members) as one of their membership benefits, with access provided via the “My account” section of the Institution website. The journal is available online at: www.structuresjournal.org