Positioning Fem in the Transformation of Spatial Design to Structural Design

In the field of architecture, structural topology is the set of locations, types (i.e. beams, columns), and arrangements of structural elements. To help the architect in understanding the structural topology for his spatial design, research exists that studies the process of the transformation of a spatial design into a structural design. If the Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied in this research, two problems can occur: (1) how to transform a topology in a mechanical system and FEM-input and (2) how can FEM support qualitative design decisions. In this paper, it is tried to define these two problems more clearly by developing data(EXPRESS)and process(IDEF0)-models for three transformations: From structural topology to mechanical system, from mechanical system to finite element model, and from finite element model to design recommendations. A six-level apartment building is used as a case study to test and supplement the dataand process-models for all three transformations. It can be concluded that the dataand process models are useful at their abstract level, but that many problems at lower abstraction levels remain to be solved.