Welcome
Structural engineering prompted by sustainability and resilience, as well as advances in other fields such as architecture, mechanics, computing and manufacturing, is evolving towards complex design solutions that often question our traditional design strategies. Structural morphology refers to the study of the relation between a structure, its function, form, material, and forces. In an analogy with biology, structural morphogenesis represents the processes that control the organized spatial distribution of material and modules in a structure. In Computer-Aided Structural Engineering (CASE) Lab, we focus on the structural morphology and morphogenesis of tomorrow's structures using a holistic and integrated framework of numerical and physical modeling. Our applications and interests span from marine and coastal structures to building and infrastructure systems to space structures. We also seek and support artistic and educational STEAM projects.
Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, PhD
News / Highlights
MEDIA COVERAGE
May/June 2021
Our NCHRP IDEA project on the development of a sustainable and efficient marine and estuarine protection system featured in this year's NBC6 First Alert Weather Hurricane Special and The Weather Channel. The project, also known as SEAHIVE, focuses on the research and development of a novel modular versatile protection system through testing in the UM SUSTAIN Facility.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
July 2021
Congratulations to Piermaria Caponi for his Ph.D. defense! Piermaria worked with us in the context of his thesis entitled “Forma ed equilibrio nell ’Architettura computazionale” at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in the program of Engineering - Architecture and Urban Planning. His research focused on the dialectic form finding of structures, a topic at the intersection between architecture and engineering for which he received the highest grade!
TENCYLINDER
April 2021
Tencylinder is a tensegrity structure that we are proud to report we worked on in collaboration with French artist Clément Vieille and Swiss architect Filippo Broggini from AEA (Applied Engineering Architecture). The structure is the centerpiece of the scenography by Hermès for watches & wonders 2021. Explore the links (click on the photo above and buttons below) to learn more about the structure including its assembly and erection.
VIDEO
March 2021
If you want to know more about our work on developing, testing, and deploying newly engineered artificial reefs that could decrease wave energy and help save coastlines from destruction during storms - all part of a project funded by the University Laboratory for Integrative Science (U-LINK) - watch the video below. The production was done by one of our team members, Dr. Jyotika Ramaprasad, professor at the School of Communication. Enjoy!