Untold Proposals for the Future – Nikken Sekkei's Professional Services
Part 3: Seeking a Rational Relationship Between Architectural Form and Forces (Part 1)

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Developing rational forms and structural systems that adapt to the various conditions required in architectural design—this may seem obvious, but in reality, it's not easy. Nikken Sekkei's Digital Engineering Lab (DEL) tackles this challenge using digital technology with its "Structural Form Creation" service. Leveraging its extensive design experience and high level of expertise, DEL is a group of engineers that provides technical proposals and architectural design support. What exactly is Structural Form Creation?

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At DEL, five specialized teams provide technical proposals and design support for new and interdisciplinary design technologies required in modern architectural design and urban planning. © Nikken Sekkei

We spoke with Hiroki Tamai (Design & Technical Department, Tech Design Group Director), who leads the Structural Form Creation Team, about the sources of his inspiration, the streamlining of architecture achieved through DEL’s proprietary technologies, and the aesthetics of form.

Structural form creation is achieved through "form finding," which conserves resources by creating a form that transmits forces more efficiently, and "optimization," which considers various values related to architecture, such as materials, construction methods, and costs. Let's look at this process.

Form finding: discovering the appropriate relationship between force and form.

The natural world is full of diverse organic forms, such as spiderwebs, soap bubbles, and seashells, and these shapes are maintained by a very rational balance of forces. Architecture is evolving, drawing inspiration from this wisdom of nature.

Frei Otto's "Munich Olympic Stadium (1967)" features cable netting stretched like a spiderweb between the pillars and anchors, creating a transparent and light covering for the spectators. ©Tim Munsey/500px (left), german-images (right)

The large roof of “TOKYO DOME” (1988) was created using a membrane material that is as thin and light as a soap bubble yet highly durable; it was inflated using indoor air pressure to create a vast interior space. 🄫 Ioannis Tsotras (left), Image courtesy of TOKYO DOME (right)

A shell roof of a gas station in Switzerland, designed by Heinz Isler. Isler conducted numerous experiments, including using inverted models, to determine the shell shape. By incorporating curvature in two directions at every point, buckling is prevented, strength is increased, and weight is reduced. ©Chris Hackett/Tetra Images (left), Nikken Sekkei (right)

Thus, "form finding" is the process of exploring rational architectural forms that adapt to the natural environment and external conditions.

Traditional buildings, which use columns and beams as basic elements, are constructed by combining the actions of three forces: tension, compression, and bending, and structural design principles are generally based on this. On the other hand, form-finding derives the form of a building from two forces: tension and compression. Form-finding is the way to realize curved building shapes and large-span roof structures in a natural way that transmits forces more efficiently, moving away from the linear configuration of beams and columns.

In the days before computers were widespread, form finding was done in surprisingly simple ways. The Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí is famous for using "upside-down models" to find the balance of forces and design the organically shaped "Colonia Güell Church."

Hanging model © Nikken Sekkei

The principles of form finding remain the same even today. However, DEL utilizes cutting-edge numerical calculation and digital technologies to explore a wider range of architectural possibilities. This is possible because, by using NSForm, an application developed independently by Nikken under Tamai's leadership, it is possible to verify a greater number of form patterns more quickly.

A grid shell (top left), a cable-net cooling tower (top right), a pedestrian bridge (bottom left), and a spoke wheel (bottom right) are studied using form-finding techniques to examine the shapes and balance of forces in various structures. © Nikken Sekkei

Form-finding for a suspended roof structure. The column and beam frame system (left), which experienced significant bending, was replaced with tension rods that transmit only tensile forces and nearly horizontal arches that transmit only compressive forces (right). This is an example where the weight of building materials could be reduced by minimizing the generation of bending stress. © Nikken Sekkei

Form finding, which involves discovering a rational form in which forces flow more clearly, is highly effective when used in the early stages of determining the specific shape from the basic concept of the building. This is because combining the form and concept envisioned by the architectural designer with form finding and considering them simultaneously leads to economic rationality, such as reducing the amount of building materials used.

Form-finding performed within a membrane structure consisting of a series of triangular roofs. Stage 1 shows the shape at the concept stage, Stage 2 shows the basic configuration being examined using CAD, Stage 3 is form-finding to derive the equilibrium shape, and Stage 4 shows the general structural analysis and structural design process. © Nikken Sekkei

Furthermore, this technology allows us to project the beautiful balance of forces found in nature onto architectural forms. For example, it's not a dream to approximate the shape of a water droplet, which disappears in an instant, using a tensile structural system and translate it into architecture. We can design towers that approximate water droplets using tensile structural systems. That's one of the charms of form-finding.

The shape of a water droplet is materialized as an architectural structure through form-finding. © Nikken Sekkei

Hiroki Tamai

Tech Design Group, Design & Technical Department
Director

Form is power. I always keep in mind the rational relationship between the form of a structure and the forces involved in its design. As the scale of a structure increases, it becomes extremely difficult to realize unnatural forms that resist the flow of forces, while rational forms that correspond to the natural flow of forces can be realized while saving structural materials. I utilize special numerical calculation methods such as form finding and optimization to propose structural forms that are more economical and contribute to resource conservation. The forms discovered in this way are by no means inorganic, but often possess a mystical and rich quality similar to the beauty of nature. After graduating from Kyoto University, I obtained a PhD from the Illinois Institute of Technology. I have traveled through the United States, Germany, and Nepal, working in architecture, structural design, and program development.

Hiroki Tamai

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