Shaping Structures : A Process for Integrating and Optimising Space Use and Structural Design at Early Design Stages for Engineered Timber Construction

Compared to steel and concrete, medium to large-scale buildings built from timber are uncommon in NZ despite a slew of advantages and being a renewable, carbon-negative material. This is partly due to a lack of specific knowledge in the industry and higher material costs.

This thesis explores innovative methods for designing materially efficient, high-performing building structures from engineered timber, which follow circular economy principles. A design method is established which holistically addresses space use and performance criteria. The method utilises a functioning prototype of a parametric digital design tool, developed for stakeholders including architects and engineers as part of the research outcome. It assesses material quantities which are used to calculate embodied carbon, cost, and performance of engineered timber structures for medium to large scale mixed-use buildings. The digital tool considers the relationships of structure, space, and performance criteria to generate design solutions for optimising the structural performance and material efficiency of input designs.

The outcome of the design process is a series of design solutions for a modular, reusable, engineered timber kit-of-parts which can be assembled to create a variety of building forms and uses. The developed design solution can be easily disassembled and re-used at the end of the building’s life, avoiding the landfill, and increasing the value and longevity of the building structure and stored carbon.

The kit-of-parts is then used in a case study design; a developed concept for a large scale, mixed- use urban development located in the Christchurch CBD, NZ. The mixed-use development contains multiple building programs to facilitate and test the kits adaptability and re-use. It serves as an initial ‘proof of concept’ for the preceding research and design.