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Altair > Case Studies > Innovative Architectural Design through IoT: A Case Study of Zaha Hadid Architects
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Innovative Architectural Design through IoT: A Case Study of Zaha Hadid Architects

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
  • Robots - Collaborative Robots
Applicable Industries
  • Buildings
  • Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Structural Health Monitoring
  • Virtual Reality
The Challenge
Zaha Hadid Architects, an international architectural design firm based in London, UK, was faced with the challenge of creating a design proposal for the Museum of the 20th Century that would complement the iconic Neue Nationalgalerie. The Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1968, introduced radical new concepts and refined structural detailing. The challenge for Zaha Hadid Architects was to reinvent a similarly radical approach by applying new advances in technology to generate structural and architectural expression. The firm's Computation and Design research group (co|de) was tasked with developing early-design methods that would enable a directed search for physically, economically, and ergonomically feasible solutions within a vast universe of architectural possibilities enabled by digital design and construction methods.
About The Customer
Zaha Hadid Architects is an international architectural design firm with its main office based in London, UK. The firm has a global presence in 44 countries and is known for creating iconic transformative and cultural architecture that harmonizes with their surroundings. Founded in 1979, Zaha Hadid’s design atelier was an early pioneer and adopter of key necessities of innovation: theoretical guidance, systemic knowledge generation, and collaborative design. The firm's Computation and Design research group (co|de) was initiated in 2007, in line with the preceding pioneering efforts of the company. The co|de team endeavors to develop early-design methods that enable a directed search for physically, economically, and ergonomically feasible solutions within a vast universe of architectural possibilities enabled by digital design and construction methods.
The Solution
Zaha Hadid Architects, with the help of the co|de team, turned to the Altair HyperWorks® platform to help them meet this challenge. They familiarized themselves with the user interface and created a plug-in for their design tool, enabling topology optimization. Altair HyperMesh™ was used for finite element pre-processing mesh generation, with Altair HyperView™ providing post-processing and visualization solutions. Structural analysis solver Altair OptiStruct™ provided advanced analysis and optimization algorithms, forming the basis for the development of innovative, lightweight and structurally efficient designs. The team used the optimization results from HyperWorks as a base for their design, developing a design language from these results. The design concept synthesized a flexible, efficient, and functional framework with spatial organization that incorporated a glazed perimeter, resulting in a unique, transparent space conducive to social interaction with display and production of coherent, contemporary art.
Operational Impact
  • The use of the Altair HyperWorks® platform allowed Zaha Hadid Architects to create a design proposal that achieved architectural expression that created a coherent dialogue with the Neue National Gallery. The design concept synthesized a flexible, efficient, and functional framework with spatial organization that incorporated a glazed perimeter, resulting in a unique, transparent space conducive to social interaction with display and production of coherent, contemporary art. The proposal integrated this geometric expression of structural forces with advanced fabrication systems and technologies to create efficient and organic structural forms of layered floors and roof which balance lightness and movement within the overall built form. While the proposal was not selected as one of the winning entries, its architectural principles are directly linked with the design’s structural arrangement as a result of improved collaboration with Altair’s state of the art simulation technology.
Quantitative Benefit
  • The use of Altair HyperWorks® platform enabled the team to optimize the material usage and rationalize it to be fabricated using hot wire cutting.
  • The geometric patterning optimized material consumption by eliminating any material redundancies within prescribed performance targets.
  • The design reduced the weight of the concrete structure through the generation of efficient rib patterns.

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