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Deployable Structures: An Interdisciplinary Design Process

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Conference

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Columbus, Ohio

Publication Date

June 24, 2017

Start Date

June 24, 2017

End Date

June 28, 2017

Conference Session

Architectural Division Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Architectural

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--28104

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/28104

Download Count

3429

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Paper Authors

biography

Sudarshan Krishnan University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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Sudarshan Krishnan is an architect, structural engineer and Assistant Professor of Structures in the School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His current research focuses on lightweight structures and transformable architecture. This includes cable domes, deployable structures, tensegrity and tensioned-membrane structures. He serves on the Working Group-6: Tensile and Membrane Structures, of the International Association of Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), and on the ASCE/ACI-421: Design of Reinforced Concrete Slabs Technical Committee of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Besides several peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, he has co-edited a book published by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

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Abstract

History reveals that architects and engineers have constantly sought new and creative structural systems. Many special systems have thus evolved, namely: deployable structures, tensegrity, tensioned-membrane and other unconventional systems.

Deployable structures find use in terrestrial architecture and outer-space applications. Disaster-relief and other emergency shelters need minimal storage space and rapid assembly on site. Temporary events such as market spaces and Worlds’ Fairs have similar requirements. Space explorations require compact and rapidly deployable assemblies; these include solar arrays, antennas, reflectors, among others. Beyond these applications, there is also excitement and inspiration that deployable geometries offer to artists, industrial designers, mathematicians, and biologists.

This paper emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary design thinking to tap the creative and intellectual potential from various disciplines for the design of deployable structures. The paper desscribes why knowledge from biology, mathematics, material science and engineering together can inform design thinking effectively. Select assignments and projects are included as examples.

Keywords: Interdisciplinary, structures, deployable, tensegrity, disaster-relief, outer-space, project-based learning.

Krishnan, S. (2017, June), Deployable Structures: An Interdisciplinary Design Process Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28104

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