Geometry Exploration

Master of Environmental Building Design
University of Pennsylvania, 6 May 2016
Prof. Yun Kiu Yi

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”  – Stephen Hawking

The research attempt to provide a thorough catalogue of the role played by wind in the built context using CFD simulation to estimate the effect of pressure on building in different orientations and contexts.

To generalize the applicability of results to a wide range of scenarios, the first part of the research defined a Grasshopper script able to efficiently generate a potentially infinite number of different three-dimensional scenarios with less user intervention. This step constituted a critical tool to facilitate the integration of the two main platforms used for the purpose of the research: Rhinoceros, the computer graphics software used to generate the test geometry, and Ansys Fluent, employed to simulate fluid flows in the virtual environment.

The second part of the research was dedicated to Ansys Fluent simulation adjustments and tuning, essential for the accurate development of the work-flow, and to result analysis. Moreover, the research lays the foundation for further improvements of the Grasshopper script and process automation. In fact it would be advantageous the use of Python programming tools to automate the collaboration of the two softwares and to facilitate the transition phase from geometry to CFD simulation.