Computational Form-Fitting with Non-Standard Structural Elements

Some naturally-occurring materials, such as timber and stone, have inherent structural capacity without the need for costly and energy-intensive processing. However, in their original forms as trees or irregular rubble, these materials are considered useless for structures, primarily because their shapes and material properties are too diverse for conventional structural design methods. This paper introduces an approach for designing viable structural geometries using geometrically and mechanically diverse structural elements. This work focuses on design processes for structures using minimally processed round timbers which are of too small a diameter or are too swept or crooked to be valuable for sawn timber production. The proposed approach could make it easier for engineers and architects to design using low embodied-energy materials such as round timber.