It’s more structurally savvy because it already embeds established structural concepts, but it doesn’t necessarily push aesthetic boundaries, so that’s what I wanted to do with the latest interpretation. In Inspire, this version was made with reinforced concrete but as you can see here, the interpretation is heavy, meaning that the designer is extracting a lot of information from the original design and creating a new version very different from the initial concept. The re-design of the stadium using topology optimization techniques.Ĭan you walk us through the re-design process?
That led me to what you see in this picture, leaning more toward aesthetics than what you’d typically see in a design like this. At the time as a designer, I wanted to see how much I could create with this type of approach. I wanted to have as many connections as possible and have the flow of the structure “move” from top to bottom. I didn’t rationalize the structure to be made of standard beams, rods, or linear elements. My goal was to avoid limitations of the technology just to see what type of outcome I could obtain and create a literal interpretation of the modeling result. If you look closely at the outer ring, it’s different from the middle and bottom ring, and the supports of each ring have slightly different designs. From a research point of view, the intent was to utilize topology optimization to obtain as much insight as we could. When this project was worked on in 2010, we did not have a computer powerful enough to handle a model of this size, so we could only work on one quarter of it at a time. The stadium has two axes of symmetry, so if you were to mirror one quarter of the design two times, it would mimic the entire design layout. Every ring on the stadium is made with different architectural details. With this project, I tried to exploit the optimization techniques we had available, which is topology optimization applied on a three-dimensional domain. What was the inspiration for the Colossus project? What technology and methods did you hope to show through this technology demonstrator? We spoke with Luca Frattari, Altair’s senior director of global architecture engineering and construction, for more insight on the inspiration for his “Colossus” stadium PhD project, as well as his insights on what the applications of computer-aided engineering (CAE) in architecture will look like in the future. A mock-up of the Colossus stadium design project created with Altair Inspire. The result is a beautiful and functional design that also benefits from savings on material cost.Įngineers at Altair used Inspire to create a stadium concept using topology optimization, an approach that influences many past Olympic stadium projects. A biomimicry-inspired approach enables design engineers to produce organic-looking load paths within a design space and ensure that the overall structure will meet strength and stiffness objectives using the least amount of material possible. Its topology optimization technology was developed to mirror how bones grow in response to stress within the human body. Using topology optimization, designers have the freedom to interpret loading patterns on new concepts without risking structural issues.Īltair® Inspire ™ accelerates the creation, optimization, and study of innovative, structurally efficient parts and assemblies.
STADIUM DESIGN GAME SOFTWARE
For a project as big as a stadium, and with such a short time to prepare, ensuring the design is feasible, beautiful, and within budget is paramount.ĭespite tight timeline and budget constraints, modern simulation software has made it possible for architects to create both innovative and structurally-sound stadiums while still showcasing key features of a country’s culture and lifestyle within the design. To support their Olympic bids, host countries will typically build brand new stadiums and other infrastructure, which requires careful planning and of course a massive amount of funding. For example, China’s notable 2008 Olympics stadium is nicknamed “The Bird’s Nest” because the structural beams used to support it resemble the intricate woven twigs found in bird’s nests, the project’s inspiration. A country’s opportunity to host the Olympics allows them to make an artistic statement about their culture as well as their innovative future. Every four years, the Olympic Games brings together thousands of athletes and spectators for one of the biggest international sporting events.