Exploring design solution spaces for optimising timber consuption in high-rise engineered wood structures

Abstract

In engineered timber construction, the configuration of the structural system is crucial for achieving material efficiency and ensuring structural adequacy. This study proposes a parametric design approach combined with genetic algorithms to explore solution spaces for multi-storey engineered timber buildings. The key variables considered were the number of storeys, building dimensions, timber strength classes and the cross-sectional dimensions of the structural elements. The results showed that timber consumption was influenced not only by span lengths, the number of storeys and the dimensions of the members, but also by the strength class of the material and the stiffness of the bracing core. For most structural members, maximum displacement governed structural adequacy, whereas shear was the governing criterion for girders. Additionally, global stability emerged as a significant design constraint from the eleventh storey onwards. Dynamic analysis of the floor system showed that natural frequencies were primarily influenced by girder stiffness and generally remained above the normative 8 Hz limit. A subsequent cost analysis showed that transitions between strength classes lead to marked increases in cost per area, with a reduced impact for combined classes.