Multi-objective design exploration for integrated structural-environmental performance of buildings: A review

Zherui Wang, Masoud Akbarzadeh, Dorit Aviv

Building performance optimization has been developed and frequently deployed in building design over recent years. However, the division of disciplines in architecture results in optimization processes performed for a singular function either structurally or environmentally, rather than a holistic optimization process for both. With the increasing urgency to mitigate climate change in a world of finite resources through reducing both embodied and operational energy expenditures, researchers have recently begun to embed multi-functional objectives into the design and engineering process. To assist designers in assessing the full spectrum of design options, multi-objective design explorations (MODE), such as multi-objective optimization (MOO), multidisciplinary optimization (MDO), and computational design exploration (CDE), have demonstrated the potential to explore building performance-driven design space while maintaining design freedom, particularly in the early
design stage. This paper presents a review of research on the potential for an integrated structural-environmental MODE workflow. The review examines the design and optimization topic domain, variable selection and software used during design space formation in existing literature, and subsequently seeks to identify knowledge gaps and opportunities in uniting the two disciplines. A survey of scientific journal articles reveals an ongoing relationship between structural design and operational energy, solar control and daylighting, and acoustic design, while structural design and thermal mass is an emerging research direction. Part two of the paper reviews precursor demonstrator and built case-study projects with an integrated structural-environmental approach in order to deduce potential design variables for future multi-objective design exploration workflows. Areas of future research on an integrated structural-environmental design are outlined and associated design variables are reviewed.

Read the full article in the Energy and Buildings.