Topology Generation of Architectural Meshes Adapted to the Support Conditions

The performances of gridshells depend on the topology of the grid but also on the geometry of the underlying surface. Topology and geometry are linked: the shape of a hanging chain model depends on the pattern of the suspended fabric. In this paper, a method is proposed that generates topologies by varying continuous parameters. The obtained grids are adapted to the support conditions of the considered surface: elements converge towards the supports and arrive perpendicular to the edges otherwise. Grids are then lifted: the spatial mesh is the result of an optimisation to have a funicular surface and flat panels. The spatial mesh is then mechanically evaluated and its performance according to different criteria is represented in a Pareto front. A non-intuitive result shows that a large number of different topologies are situated on the Pareto front. These results show the strength of the method to explore different topologies.