A «forest of columns» supports the concrete roof of a parking facility for 3,000 bicycles underneath the Groningen Stadsbalkon by KCAP. Defining the necessary number of pillars as well as their exact location, diameter and inclination proved to be impossible using a top-down design approach.
designtoproduction developed a software based on artificial-life methods, which optimized the exact position, inclination and strength of some 150 irregularly placed columns according to functional and constructional requirements, and which could be utilized by the architects to generate alternative design solutions.
