Structural Bay Optimization Assistant - Project Pitch

Intended Users

Structural engineers in early design phases
Architects working on structural layouts
Building designers evaluating floor plate efficiency
Students learning structural design principles

The Need

Designers currently struggle to quickly evaluate how different structural bay sizes affect material usage, cost, and spatial efficiency. This evaluation typically requires manual calculations or complex structural software, creating a barrier during fast-paced conceptual design phases. There's a critical need for a simple tool that provides immediate feedback on structural bay decisions, helping users understand the trade-offs between span length, beam depth, material usage, and overall building efficiency in real-time.

Inputs

Design Variables (to be explored):

Bay width: 15-40 feet
Bay length: 20-50 feet
Live load: 50-150 psf
Number of floors: 1-15 stories

Model Constants:

Steel grade: A992
Deflection limit: L/360
Dead load: 20 psf (typical)
Material unit costs

Underlying Logic of the Model

The tool will implement a simplified structural design workflow:

Load Calculation: Combine dead and live loads based on tributary areas
Beam Sizing: Apply standard steel beam selection criteria using moment and deflection requirements
Material Quantification: Calculate total steel weight per square foot based on selected beam sizes and grid layout
Cost Analysis: Multiply material quantities by unit costs to determine structural cost per square foot
Efficiency Metrics: Compute structural efficiency ratios comparing different bay configurations
Geometric Validation: Check for practical construction limits and flag unrealistic configurations

Outputs

Visual Outputs:

3D Revit model displaying the structural grid with appropriately sized steel beams and columns
Color-coded visualization showing relative efficiency of different bay sizes

Analytical Outputs:

Data table comparing material weights, costs, and efficiency metrics across configurations
Optimization charts identifying the most cost-effective bay sizes for given loading conditions
Alert messages when spans exceed practical limits or when beam depths may impact architectural requirements

Decision Support: