Wim Debacker

STRUCTURAL OPTIMISATION AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

The theory of morphological indicators (MI) provides user-friendly tools guiding the structural designer towards low volume consuming solutions during the exploration and comparison of different structural types. Since a first doctoral thesis published in 1999, a decade of research has refined MI into a benchmarked structural optimisation method for conceptual design. This article surveys the milestones that lead to today’s method and contains the published references that contributed to the major evolutions of MI. The article also refers to the work of other researchers in structural and architectural engineering, this time in the quest of optimisation of structures through a more sustainable design, offering the possibility of re-use and recombination of structural components. This technique, called 4D design methodology, was based on a research proposal by Hendrickx and Van Walleghem, which was further developed at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Re-design for change: environmental and financial assessment of a dynamic renovation approach for residential buildings

Existing residential buildings and their daily use are unmistakably influencing the rational consumption of our worldwide natural resources. This observation has led to global renovation regulations, mainly focusing on the reduction of energy consumption caused by occupation. However, equally important are the future environmental and financial impacts of current renovation interventions. Indeed, when minimising the heating energy demand, the main future energy savings will shift towards the life cycle of building materials. Since building conditions change over time, buildings have to be re-designed today to enable future transformation without taking part in further environmental degradation. Therefore, renovation measures cannot introduce the same ‘static’ building materialisation as the initial building design, which did not anticipate on future unpredictable need for upgrade and change which we are facing today. This paper evaluates the environmental and financial benefits and drawbacks of redesign introducing reuse strategies, considering not only initial but also future life cycle impacts. An assessment was made for a typical building layer, comparing conventional renovation with design for disassembly (DfD) re-design.

Adaptable Versus Lightweight Design OfTransitory Dwellings

Optimisation of structures and materials is a justifiably popular engineering topic. Contemporary research is concentrated, among other things, into cost minimisation, structural efficiency and intelligence, in compliance with environmental and social preservation. This paper puts the accent on the time dependent aspect of constructions, such as the life cycle cost, the possibility to make (non-) structural changes and recycle or reuse of building materials. In search of an optimisation of this ‘dynamic’ efficiency of constructions, a design strategy has been developed at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (dept. MeMC & ARCH). A logical question arises: can both types of optimization coexist? The answer is given through a realistic case study: transitory dwellings.

4-dimensional Design: A Design Strategy ForEfficient Shelter And Sustainable HousingAfter Conflict-based And Natural Disasters

Catastrophes like wars and natural disasters have occurred over the ages. However, in the last decade the number of emergency situations has increased in a frightening way. Unsustainable human behaviour causing environmental changes and social conflicts undoubtedly contributes to this increase. A global approach for shelter intervention may contribute to efficient relief while supporting a transition from aid to development and helping to prevent future catastrophes. In this paper one investigates how the “4-dimensional design strategy” developed at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (department of Arch & MeMC) can be implemented to reach this goal.