Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting | 6th November 2024

This meeting took place at Arup, Manchester, on the 6th November 2024.

On Wednesday 6th November we were kindly hosted at Arup for our second Manchester based Grasshopper UK User Group Meeting. Following a welcome from Paul Cowell from the Grasshopper UK Meeting organisers Simply Rhino we had Grasshopper focused presentations from our hosts, Arup, and from LimitState with Peregrine. At the end of the meeting there was time for conversations and networking. Look forward to coming back to Manchester next year!

Meeting Date: Wednesday 6th November 2024
Time: 18:30-20:30
Location: Arup, 6th Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN, United Kingdom

Photos from the Grasshopper meeting:

Presentation 1 | Giorgio Gatti – Arup

Mount Tirana – Developing grasshopper-GSA workflows to iterate on complex geometry

A photorealistic rendered image showing a tall angular skyscraper building with vegetation at various levels. In the foreground there are people, trees and a seated area showing people sat under parasols.

In this presentation, we explore multiple applications of Grasshopper in the concept and scheme design stages of a landmark skyscraper project in Albania. Mount Tirana presented a set of unique challenges due to its highly irregular geometry, with a gradual receding façade to shape the building as a mountain.

Images ©Arup

The architects CEBRA provided updated and organised Rhino models throughout the design stages. Through a proactive approach by our lead engineer and an open approach to upskilling by the rest of the team, Grasshopper enabled rapid generation of global dynamic and local static analytical models using in-house structural plugins, like GSAgh, allowing visualisation of analysis results directly in Rhino.

Giorgio Gatti – The presentation will be recounted through the lens of a graduate structural engineer, Giorgio who has recently joined ARUP in the Property, Science and Industry Portfolio. He has been contributing to re-start the computational design club (formally known as Grasshopper club) in the office and has been learning the extensive benefits of grasshopper when applied with a thorough comprehension of its limitations and capabilities.

Presentation 2 | Dr Tom Pritchard – LimitState

From Concept to Creation: Using Peregrine to Optimise Truss Structures for Metal 3D Printing

In this presentation, Dr. Tom Pritchard will introduce the Peregrine truss layout optimization plug-in for Grasshopper and explore its role in the design and manufacture of materially efficient truss structures, facilitated through the application of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology.

Screenshot showing the Grasshopper plugin, Peregrine, in use.

Drawing on his extensive experience from multi-partner European research projects, Dr. Pritchard will address key challenges in optimizing large-scale structure designs for additive manufacturing and demonstrate how the Rhino/Grasshopper environment offers an ideal platform to address these.

Through a series of truss design case studies, he will showcase how integrating structural optimization early in the design process can lead to innovative truss designs and highlight the pioneering new technologies being developed to support this workflow.

Photo of a metal 3D printer in use. — Peregrine optimized cantilever truss during manufacture using WAAM

Dr Tom Pritchard (PhD MEng) is Principal Engineer at LimitState. His doctoral research considered the application of novel computational techniques to the efficient optimization of truss structures. He has over 20 years of experience in integrating such technologies into innovative software solutions across a range of engineering sectors and platforms to solve real world challenges.

As project manager and technical lead for LimitState on a range of high-value, multi-partner European research projects, Tom has overseen the development and application of Peregrine, LimitState’s Grasshopper-based structural optimisation tool, to the design and manufacture of building-scale optimised truss structures using metal additive manufacture (3D print) technologies.

Websites: LimitState | Peregrine | Pioneer Project

Presentation 3 | Sam Styles – Arup

Arup STOMP – Structural Optioneering and Massing Program for the early-stage structural design studies

Making informed decisions at the early stages of design is crucial for identifying the optimal structural solution for building design projects. However, the design programme and commercial drivers rarely allow for multiple full-scale options to be tested; instead, we often rely on subjective judgements or rough numerical estimates from typical bay studies.

To address this challenge, we developed STOMP: a program that generates building-scale geometry for simple structures from minimal inputs. It provides metrics such as embodied carbon, material quantities, building height, cost, and programme, among others. This enables quantitative comparison between different structural options and facilitates high-value conversations with clients.

STOMP uses simple algorithms for the preliminary sizing of structural elements, allowing it to generate schemes in seconds. This capability enables users to appraise a wide range of structural systems and grid arrangements at the project’s outset.

STOMP’s ability to rapidly generate whole-building geometry in Rhino allows for the production of high-quality 3D models and renders for bids, massing studies, and concept design appraisals. Recently, STOMP has been integrated with Arup InForm, a platform that enables designers and clients to refine their designs in real time, making the tool even more accessible. The presentation will explore case studies demonstrating the use of STOMP and InForm.

Images ©Arup

Sam Styles – Sam is an Associate in Arup’s Property, Science and Industry, North-West and Yorkshire (PSI NWY) group. As a Chartered Structural Engineer with 17 years of experience, he has a strong background in structural design and multi-disciplinary project management across the commercial, education, sport, infrastructure, and healthcare sectors. In addition to his engineering expertise, Sam is a seasoned digital practitioner. He combines these two domains in his role as the leader of the PSI NWY ‘Pit Stop’ team, which focuses on delivering impactful interventions on real-life projects. Sam developed the STOMP tool to assist with the generation and comparison of early-stage structural solutions and has led its development and management since its inception.