Building by Numbers

This paper outlines the successful implementation of digital workflows between the design team composed of Architect, Structural Engineer and Project Manager for application to the real-world case study of the structural design and engineering of a free-form glass clad grid shell structure. The Jewel Changi airport grid shell in Singapore. The author was a key member of the design engineering team and acted as the specialty structural engineer for design, analysis, digital workflow concept, creation and implementation for the primary steel structure of the roof, ETFE mega cushion, and miscellaneous ETFE areas. The author was employed at a previous company, Buro Happold, for the duration of time that he was engaged on the project. The author wishes to acknowledge that he was part of a team at Buro Happold that included Crisotbal Correera, Gustav Fagerstrom and Liam Mcnamara. Key members without who this project would not have been realized.

The digital practice presented here is applied to provide multiple design and engineering alternatives for the architect/engineer where form and geometry is changed and optimized through multiple iterations before the pe construction phase to arrive at a “well-understood” end solution for bidding. A process of “optioneering”. This end design solution forms the construction documentation deliverable that is then put out to bid to appropriately qualified primary structural and facade fabrication and installation contractors. The author was only involved in the design/engineering and documentation of the Construction Document process, it does not refer to the fabrication or actual construction process. The paper is focused on the design and engineering process, not particulars of the project challenges globally with respect to coordination with other disciplines for instance.

The paper focuses on the analysis and design information storage and retrieval, visualization of graphical to textual data linking, interoperability, visual communication and data exchange. An overview of key bottle necks needing to be overcome and key design issues that need to be addressed using the collaborative workflow are presented. Suggested future best practice guidelines are given. This paper will illustrate the design, development and fabrication processes involved in the realization of this now built structure at Changi (Figure 1)