22|The Structural Engineer – 5 February 2008

projects: software

Fig 1. Tesco Store designed using Robot Millennium / Fig 2. The completed store / Fig 3. The frame uses laminated timber

build retail stores and innovative structuresin timber around the UK. Mark Sinclair,Associate at evolve, described how RobotMillennium is used in this application. ‘Ourwork in this sector has been in conjunctionwith Tesco and other major retailers that areintroducing measures to reduce their carbonfootprint in new buildings by specifying lami-nated timber rather than steel in the buildingframe.

Robot allows design and analysis of 3Dframes to be created that incorporate differentmaterials i.e. steel & timber and accommo-dates their properties. This optimises the useof materials and allows the substitution of

steel members within the standard 18.0m ×12.0m grid for timber with the minimum ofeffort. Aside from the structural engineeringdata that the software produces, one of thesignificant advantages of using Robot hasbeen the output of material quantity andspecification report schedules that we pass onto our suppliers and others in the supplychain. These reports which would be timeconsuming to produce manually are generatedautomatically by the software as the designdevelops allowing us and other stakeholdersto understand the cost and quantity implica-tions of design variations at an early stage.’

Using Robot Millennium, evolve designed

Exploring the designpossibilities of laminated wood

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The use of Robobat FE software bystructural engineering firm ‘evolve’has enabled optimised design oflaminated wood structures explainsNick Lerner

The aesthetic beauty of laminated wood isonly part of its appeal. As a renewableconstruction material wood reduces

building owners’ carbon footprints with theadded bonus of enhanced design options.Because of its almost endless design possibili-ties an FE based 3D frame analysis programis a must.

One structural engineering consultancythat is pioneering the use of laminated woodin mainstream and alternative construction isevolve of London and Glasgow.

The company has been using RobotMillennium FE software from Robobat for 6years and has recently been working on new-

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24|The Structural Engineer – 5 February 2008

projects: software

Fig 4. Laminated wood on an exhibition stand / Fig 5. Designing the stand using Robot software

the timber frame for Tesco’s eco-store in Wick,Scotland. This was the UK’s first sustainablesupermarket, following this they worked onthe second in Shrewsbury, England, and arenow designing other timber-framed projectsaround the country.

Branching outMr Sinclair said: ‘We use Robot Millennium tocalculate stability analysis for vertical andhorizontal bracing, applying wind loads andother project specific loadings to the mainstructure and its component details. Havingcalculated the deflection of long spanelements and designed their fixings, the auto-mated quantity report scheduling is a realtime saver that allows us to spend our timevery productively. The software allows us tooptimise designs speedily and produce solu-tions that use optimal amounts of material -no more and no less.

‘Wood gives us many more fixing possibili-ties than steel and we have developed systemsfor temporary and removable fixing to makethe construction process far simpler. Forexample, we can fix frame elements temporar-ily and put them in position before permanentfixings are used. Robot is used to calculate theextent to which this methodology is practica-ble, and also allows us to look at alternativedesign options within this technique.’

The ability to optimise a design and itsconstruction methodology often leads to moreelegant solutions with greater visual appeal toshoppers as well as a positive impact on theowners’ carbon footprint.

Leaving the past behindIt is likely that as more companies realise theenvironmental benefits of laminated wood intheir buildings the market will adapt to meetdemand. The firm plans to capitalise on thistrend and has been working to secure itsalready strong position by exploring the

potential of optimising designs with RobotMillennium.

Mr Sinclair explained: ‘While the design ofa supermarket to a pre-existing grid planpresents several technical design and method-ology challenges, the creative design elementis relatively straightforward. This is not thecase with other projects where innovativedesign is at a premium and new ways must befound to ensure structural integrity.

‘Because laminated wood is easy to shapeand bespoke cross-sections are easy to fabri-cate, the achievable design possibilities areendless. One of the advantages of designingfor this material using Robot is knowing, inreal-time, whether a design will work in prac-tice while having a fully reported understand-ing of the cost implications of designmodifications.

‘We can import 3D models into Robot fromother CAD systems, or produce designs usingthe system’s own modeler. Either way, we areassured that the software verifies our designoptions and choices for final construction inthe knowledge that they cannot be betteredfrom a technical standpoint.

Seeds of changeA recent project for FinnforestMerk, designedin conjunction with Alsop Architects, involvedevolve producing finished designs for an exhi-bition stand using LVL Timber Wall. Takingan original Alsop design and adapting it forconstruction without any loss of design intentwas crucial for this industry showpiece. It wasimportant to retain the dramatic double wave-form while ensuring full structural integrityand material optimisation.

Since the project was produced to the tight-est of deadlines evolve took a copy of Robotsoftware on site to the exhibition and ranFrame Analysis calculations on a laptopcomputer as the waves were built. Throughoutthis process new calculations were made and

appropriate modifications developed for theconstruction.

The firm has certainly not left steel andconcrete behind and uses Robot Millenniumevery day in its structural design work for arange of projects. The company has recentlyworked on steel designs for Gatwick Airportand T5, Tottenham Hale Retail Park andconcrete structures at Thomas Cubitt’s formerworks, Grovesnor Dock in Chelsea. ‘But whiletraditional steel and concrete constructionforms the majority of our work, the use oflaminated wood is fast growing, not just inretail, but also in other commercial anddomestic construction’, said Mr Sinclair.‘Laminated wood offers so many designoptions that it effectively gives a new paletteto designers. As seen in our supermarket proj-ects it makes a very interesting alternative tosteel and in other applications the designfreedom and restraints that it presents arevery exciting. There is no stopping a fashiononce it gets started and laminated wood isvery much in vogue right now.

‘Since a great deal of the appeal of lami-nated wood is the reduction of carbon usagethat it offers, it makes sense to optimise itsdesign and so generate further savingsthrough efficient use of resources. Our use ofRobobat’s Robot Millennium in the designprocess allows us to reduce material quanti-ties by optimisation, develop new constructiontechniques that save both labour and energy,and keep track of costs throughout. Whenthese factors are added to the ease of produc-ing verified designs that are right first time,the appeal of using Robot Millennium, as wedo, is significant.’

• Further information: Nigel Rees, Robobat(UK) Ltd (email: nr@robobat.co.uk; web:http://www.robobat.co.uk), or evolve:(www.evolveuk.biz)/).

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