Shape and Topology Sculpting of Tall Buildings under Aerodynamic Loads

This paper presents an overview of a proposed tall building design platform that has the aim of determining the optimal external shape and structural system for tall buildings subject to aerodynamic loads. The platform is intended to bridge the gap between the traditionally manual conceptual design stage and the more automated detailed design stage in an attempt to define a new generation of innovative tall buildings. Shape optimization will be used to sculpt the optimal external profile of the building, topology optimization will be utilized to determine the optimal configuration of the structural system, and reliability-based optimization algorithms will be used in the detailed design stages. This paper presents the results of several preliminary studies concerning the topology optimization stage of the platform, performed on simplified building structures, to highlight the concept and benefits of this approach.