Design and Analysis of Complex Structures

In this chapter, the definition of complex structure is discussed. Examples of current complex structures in the world are demonstrated, which are: Sydney Opera House, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka Train Station, Marina Bay Hotel, Beijing Aquatic Center and Emirates Airline Cable Car Supports. It also introduces major design considerations for complex structures, such as the design of space structure, arches, support, and connections. An introduction to the complex structure analysis methods is also made. In addition, the building information modeling and parametric modeling techniques are given in detail followed by the topics of the development of the application program interface and graphical user interface. In the final part of this chapter, some case studies are discussed, which is to help the readers to understand fully the effective way to analyze the complex structures.