POSTPONED | Masoud Akbarzadeh: Minimizing Mass in Large Scale Structures While Maximizing Carbon Absorption

This event is open to the Penn community.

Funicular structural forms maximize the structural performance and minimize the use of materials by carrying the applied loads in the form of pure tensile/compressive axial forces. The internal structure of a bone is a classic example where material follows the principal stress directions and forms a delicate latticework of tiny, interlaced trabeculae crossing each other. This lecture will show recent advances in using and developing this method and its application for designing multi-functional structural geometry on micro and macro scales at the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory of Weitzman School. This presentation will especially show how to (i) minimize mass in large-scale structures and thus contribute to the reduction of embodied energy; (ii) design systems for disassembly; (iii) develop future manufacturing methods by combining polyhedral geometry with origami; and (iv) design concrete 3d printed structures with maximized mass to absorb carbon.

Masoud Akbarzadeh is a designer with a unique academic background and experience in architectural design, computation, and structural engineering. He is an assistant professor of architecture specializing in structures and advanced technologies, and the director of the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory (PSL)

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