Generative and Parametric Design - using 3D Technology in the Public Space

In the interest of clarity about the benefits of generative design tools and parametric design in the public space, I sought some answers from architect Grisha Zotov, founder of Architectural Prescription. He works for the department of Urban Planning in the City, currently developing a building project in the Schinkel Kwartier. Also, Digital Architect Shaquille Veldboom, founder of Veldboomstudios and currently working for the City, shares some insight on the usefulness of generative design. We will be analysing some of the benefits of using 3D technology and generative design tools, by focusing on the MX3D Bridge, and the building project in The Schinkel Kwartier. Without further ado let’s jump right in.

Queen Juliana walks across the Stoofbrug (Bridge 214) preceded by two Moroccan children on her way to visit a Moroccan family, picture taken in1971. Source: Stadsarchief.

Building bridges

In figurative terms building bridges involves establishing connections or improving relationships between different groups of people.
In the figure above we see the Stoofbrug, a popular bridge situated on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal, taken in 1971. This area has been a meeting place for many cultures of the world, and for various reasons it still is.  In recent years, the issues around crowd control and the safety of citizens in the surrounding district has been a recurring topic of discussion.

A couple of years ago, in 2020,  the Stoofbrug was in dire need of renovation, leading to it being replaced by the world's first 3D printed bridge, the MX3D Bridge.

virtual simulation of the MX3D Bridge taken from MX3D

The partners joining the project, The Alan Turing Institute, the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) and Autodesk, placed sensors to collect structural measurements such as strain, displacement and vibration. They also measured environmental factors such as air quality, and temperature, enabling engineers to measure the bridge’s health in real time and monitor how it changes over its lifespan.

The MX3D Bridge, a 12 metreslong stainless steel pedestrian bridge developed by a team of mathematicians, IoT specialists and architects, with a smart sensor network to monitor the bridge’s health in real time. Picture taken from MX3D. 

For this object a generative design tool was implemented. Shaquille helps give a better understanding about these design options.

He states: "Parametric and generative design is a design process were the right indicators are loaded into the needed design software. Generative Design models and programs like Ansys , and parametric design tools like Rhino are able to simulate a certain force onto an object, allowing the object to be designed in such a way as to absorb as much force as possible.

Shaquille states: “Generative design could be used for optimising and generating measure data that are coherent with complex calculations about force and the stresses”.

A visualisation of the robot arm of the MX3D printer, taken from Wired.

Shaquille states: “By using 3D Technology and AI, the shapes of buildings in the future can be optimised for different purposes, creating countless possibilities. The robot arm has the ability to print on top of an already printed structure. This allows the printer to move forward again. Looking at the Stoofbrug, the robot built its own way across. With this you can play and anticipate the environment to analyse what the final outcome is, and then on the spot, generate a command of a structure from one side to the other.”

Schinkelkwartier area, figure taken from amsterdam.nl

Building developments Nieuw West - Schinkelkwartier

As we have analysed the benefits of 3D technology, we move on to an analysis of generative design tools. In the image above we see several plots of building areas in Nieuw West. Grisha was able to automatically generate the density for this project.

A visualisation of the plot and building plan in surrounding area

He goes on to explain the following:

"What the generator does is take a plot, analyse the views of the neighbours, the sun condition, density and many other factors. We then start generating all possible positions for towers in that block. This can include hundreds or even thousands of options, checking them on all of the criterias. The most important being the position of the sun, density, orientation (north/east/south/west) and, the depth of the building et cetera. Afterwards we collect so much data, allowing us to choose what is the best density per particular plot.”

A visualisation of different indicators

Grisha explains : “The assignment from the City was to find at least 300 000 square metres to densify. After coming up with a strategy with different groups within the municipality, in particular with Martijn de Wit, we found potential for 3 000 000 square metres. So that's ten times more potential to densify those areas. This led to us doing a lot of manual work there, checking and going plot by plot, corner by corner, building by building, either to rebuild it, renovate it, demolish or otherwise. But we noticed the rules were quite simple, and that is why we decided to automate it.“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvDzrfRQCV0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amsterdamintelligence.com%2F 

All criteria on different blocks are automatically generated with a density generator, taken from architetural exposure

“Working with tools like these help avoid mistakes. When working with developers, sometimes a developer wants to build to the maximum.Because we live in a market driven society. There are plans to densify Amsterdam, the population, but within the same border. This means we need to make it twice as dense. So knowing this and having these tools enable us to make still high density but livable neighbourhoods and buildings.

Still we want to keep the public space livable for citizens. Within the set conditions we can then provide the best possible views for new residents in the area.”

A visual representation of the criteria set for the density generator.

Adhering to the right criteria

The development of parametric models is in full force, but what does this mean for the city? As technology keeps on advancing, more opportunities arise to keep improving the way we design our public space. Over the years the focus has shifted from designing different constructions in design to developing code that offer multiple options.

Furthermore, parametric design is also used in the urban atmosphere. For instance by looking at the data on noise levels, air quality and green space. Data like this can guide better-informed proposals for neighbourhood improvement or densification.

So after analysing both bridges and buildings, exactly what can we learn from this, and how could AI make a difference in what we do with the data? There are significant benefits.

Photo by DeepMind / Unsplash

The benefits

Integrating the use of AI tools with generative design tools could improve the design process.  As the city aims to collect and analyse vast amounts of data, this data can then be used to create detailed models and simulations of how people use and interact within this space. Take for instance AI algorithms which can be used to analyse the flow of foot traffic in populated areas. When looking closer at the  MX3D Bridge, we see that the sensors and data collected gave more insights into the way people move through this particular space. This information can then be used to make informed design decisions, such as the placement of extra curb ramps, trash cans, benches and so on.

At the Department of Digitalisation and Innovation helpful data like this is used to improve the state of city objects being safe and sound. So also is the case of the data that was made accessible to the City of Amsterdam, which has an interest in crowd control, safety and livability. Especially in the surrounding district.

Future Prospects

The MX3D Bridge and the buildings at the Schinkel Kwartier provide an exciting opportunity to explore the potential of IoT systems in the built environment. In collaboration with academic partners and industry researchers, we are investigating questions around open data, data ethics, citizen ownership, and the impact of tourism. Our goal is to promote transparency and responsible data collection, with the City of Amsterdam as the owner of the collected data.

At the heart of every city project is the desire to enhance the quality of life for citizens, and there is always room for improvement. If you have an idea for how we can maintain our public spaces and ensure their safety, we welcome your input. Please feel free to contact us to share your thoughts.