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Altair > Case Studies > OptiStruct® Facilitates Creation of Life-form Inspired Table for IL Hoon Roh
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OptiStruct® Facilitates Creation of Life-form Inspired Table for IL Hoon Roh

Applicable Industries
  • Buildings
  • Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Experimentation Automation
  • Structural Health Monitoring
The Challenge
The challenge was to create an organic-like table structure inspired by natural life forms of Radiolaria. IL Hoon Roh, a renowned architect and designer, was particularly intrigued by the way Radiolaria, a type of zooplankton, forms itself by deliberately creating a hole in its membrane. He began a series of objects known as the “Radiolaria Experiment”, starting with the Fabric Table R (Fabric Table Radiolaria), where he applied a three-dimensional structure to his work by hand-stretching a piece of cloth to create a 3D organic form. However, he was not completely satisfied with the seventh experiment in the series, Table R Ex07. Although he achieved the desired shape, the finished object lacked the intricate parts he wanted to depict and was not structurally perfect.
About The Customer
IL Hoon Roh is a distinguished architect and designer who graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and obtained a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art in London. He worked in Foster & Partners in London as an architect until 2010 when he founded his own design Studio, Studio IL Hoon Roh, and made his debut at an invitational exhibition at the Aram Gallery in London. Since then, he has exhibited his works in major cities around the world including solo exhibitions in Paris and Seoul. In 2017, his work was acquired by the Pompidou Center in Paris as a part of their permanent collection.
The Solution
IL Hoon Roh found a solution in Altair’s OptiStruct®. He collaborated with Altair’s Korean optimization team to create a fully formed and structurally strong piece of work. Hong Sang-Ryeol, a senior researcher at Altair Korea, did the modeling using HyperMesh®, a meshing requirement that was far more sophisticated than the previous modeling used for Ex07. The modeling was done to find the most sophisticated and optimized structure. IL Hoon Roh was taught how to use OptiStruct and was able to run the program due to his experience with construction-related software. OptiStruct provided structural suggestions, such as tapering a part of the leg, which led to a robust outcome. By running an automatic structural analysis, OptiStruct guided on where, how much, and in which direction the thickness was required. IL Hoon partially accepted what was suggested and then negotiated the best solution with OptiStruct by changing the surrounding structural conditions and taking alternative routes for the design.
Operational Impact
  • The operational results were significant. IL Hoon Roh was able to create a structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing table inspired by Radiolaria. The use of OptiStruct allowed him to understand the best load path and improve his design quicker, leading to a robust outcome. The final result, Ex08, was a work based on a constant dialog with OptiStruct. IL Hoon Roh described OptiStruct as a great mentor and a sincere and intelligent assistant. The collaboration with Altair’s Korean optimization team and the use of HyperMesh® for modeling led to a more sophisticated and optimized structure than previous models.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Feasibility of the design was achieved
  • Reduced number of prototypes
  • Optimized structural analysis

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