Karamba - A Toolkit for Parametric Structural Design

An increasing number of architectural design practices harness the power of parametric design tools. The aim of these tools is to facilitate and control complex building geometries. Parametric design programs such as Grasshopper (GH) for Rhino or Generative Components popularized this approach by providing easy-to-use visual programming environments that integrate with computer-aided design (CAD) packages. A logical next step consists in connecting parametric designs to applications that evaluate non-geometric aspects such as building physics or structural performance. This brings about new opportunities of collaboration between architects and engineers in the early stages of building design. The ease of testing alternatives by tweaking a set of parameters also opens the door for the application of generic optimization algorithms. Karamba is a finite element program geared towards interactive use in the parametric design environment GH. Being a GH plug-in, it seamlessly integrates with the diverse habitat of other third party programs available for GH. These range from building physics applications to genetic optimization engines. In the author's company, Karamba is used in early-stage design, form-finding, and structural optimization. White Noise, a mobile exhibition pavilion for the Salzburg Biennale, serves as a case study that shows how Karamba can be used to optimize the structural performance of intricate building geometries.