Agent-Based Modeling

Research Area

Many aspects of architecture, from design to fabrication, construction and operation, can be conceived of as complex social or physical systems. Such systems consist of multiple interacting entities, people, objects, or both, that are embedded in an environment, with which they also interact. Complex systems are characterized by non-linear behavior often expressed as emergence or selforganization. The cross-sectoral research area Agent-based Modeling focuses on modeling and understanding complex systems in architecture in order to harness their complexity for the design of the built environment.

Related Research Projects

DFG Priority Program SPP 2187

A02 | Development of Integrative Architectural Design Methods for Adaptive Structures

Agent-based Methods for Fabrication-oriented Design of Adaptive Modular Pre-fab Concrete Construction

Robotic Kinematic System for Parallel Construction

Computational Design for Fibre Composite Building Systems

A02 | Development of Integrative Architectural Design Methods for Adaptive Structures

Segmented Shell Structures

Wood R³ - Resource Effective, Regional, Robotically Fabricated

Robotic Fabrication in Timber Construction

Related Thesis Projects

Interactive Design Method for Irregular Column Layouts

Adaptive Intelligent Space

Assembly Agency - Adaptive Fabrication and Assembly of Segmented Timber Plate Structures

Robotic Softness - Behavioural Robotic Fabrication Process of a Woven Space

Joint Effort - Robot Team Enabled Carbon Fiber Joining Strategies for Lightweight Wood Construction

Related Research Demonstrators and Prototypes

BUGA Wood Pavilion 2019

ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2014-15

Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall

Related Research Tools

ABxM

Selected Publications

  1. 2023

    1. Schwinn, T., Groenewolt, A., Nguyen, L., Siriwardena, L., Alvarez, M., Reiner, A., Zorn, M. B., & Menges, A. (2023). ABxM.PlateStructures: Agent-based Architectural Design of Plate Structures. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-3438
    2. Leder, S., & Menges, A. (2023). Introducing Agent-Based Modeling Methods for Designing Architectural Structures with Multiple Mobile Robotic Systems. In C. Gengnagel, O. Baverel, G. Betti, M. Popescu, M. R. Thomsen, & J. Wurm (Eds.), Towards Radical Regeneration (pp. 71--83). Springer International Publishing.

  2. 2022

    1. Stieler, D., Schwinn, T., Leder, S., Maierhofer, M., Kannenberg, F., & Menges, A. (2022). Agent-based modeling and simulation in architecture. Automation in Construction, 141, 104426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2022.104426
    2. Leder, S., Kim, H., Oguz, O. S., Kalousdian, N. K., Hartmann, V. N., Menges, A., Toussaint, M., & Sitti, M. (2022). Leveraging Building Material as Part of the In-Plane Robotic Kinematic System for Collective Construction. Advanced Science, 2201524. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202201524
    3. Stieler, D., Schwinn, T., & Menges, A. (2022). Additive formwork in precast construction - Agent-based Methods for Fabrication-aware Modularization of Concrete Building Elements. In J. van Ameijde, N. Gardner, K. H. Hyun, L. Dan, & U. Sheth (Eds.), Post Carbon - Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia. CAADRIA. https://caadria2022.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/435-1.pdf
    4. Stieler, D., Schwinn, T., & Menges, A. (2022). Volumetric intersections: Modularization approaches for freeform prefab concrete construction. Civil Engineering Design, 4(1–3), Article 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1002/cend.202100047
    5. Nguyen, L., Schwinn, T., Groenewolt, A., Maierhofer, M., Zorn, M. B., Stieler, D., Siriwardena, L., Kannenberg, F., & Menges, A. (2022). ABxM.Core: The Core Libraries of the ABxM Framework. DaRUS. https://doi.org/10.18419/darus-2994
    6. Orozco, L., Krtschil, A., Skoury, L., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2022). Arrangement of reinforcement in variable density timber slab systems for multi-story construction. International Journal of Architectural Computing, 20(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1177/14780771221135003
    7. Stieler, D., Schwinn, T., & Menges, A. (2022). Automatisierte Bauteilzerlegung für Betonfertigteile aus additiv hergestellten Schalungen. Beton- Und Stahlbetonbau, 117(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/best.202200006

  3. 2021

    1. Orozco, L., Krtschil, A., Wagner, H. J., Bechert, S., Amtsberg, F., Skoury, L., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2021). Design Methods for Variable Density, Multi-Directional Composite Timber Slab Systems for Multi-Storey. In V. Stojakovic & B. Tepavcevic (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th eCAADe Conference (Vol. 1, pp. 303--312). Cumincad. http://papers.cumincad.org/cgi-bin/works/paper/ecaade2021_284
    2. Schwinn, T. (2021). A systematic approach for developing agent-based architectural design models of segmented shells : towards autonomously learned goal-oriented agent behaviors. ICD Research Report, 5, Article 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.18419/opus-11633

  4. 2020

    1. Wagner, H. J., Alvarez, M., Groenewolt, A., & Menges, A. (2020). Towards digital automation flexibility in large-scale timber construction: integrative robotic prefabrication and co-design of the BUGA Wood Pavilion. Construction Robotics, 120, Article 120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00038-5

  5. 2019

    1. Maierhofer, M., & Menges, A. (2019). Towards integrative design processes and computational design tools for the design space exploration of adaptive architectural structures. ICETAD 2019 - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Emerging Technologies in Architectural Design, 113--120.

  6. 2018

    1. Groenewolt, A., Schwinn, T., Nguyen, L., & Menges, A. (2018). An interactive agent-based framework for materialization-informed architectural design. Swarm Intelligence, 12(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11721-017-0151-8

  7. 2017

    1. Baharlou, E. (2017). Generative agent-based architectural design computation : behavioral strategies for integrating material, fabrication and construction characteristics in design processes. ICD Research Report, 1, Article 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.18419/opus-9752

  8. 2016

    1. Brugnaro, G., Baharlou, E., Vasey, L., & Menges, A. (2016). Robotic Softness: An Adaptive Robotic Fabrication Process for Woven Structures. Posthuman Frontiers: Data, Designers, and Cognitive Machines, Proceedings of the 36th Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), 154--163.

  9. 2015

    1. Schwinn, T., & Menges, A. (2015). Fabrication Agency – Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall. Architectural Design, 85(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.1960
    2. Krieg, O. D., Schwinn, T., Menges, A., Li, J.-M., Knippers, J., Schmitt, A., & Schwieger, V. (2015). Biomimetic lightweight timber plate shells : computational integration of robotic fabrication, architectural geometry and structural design. Advances in Architectural Geometry 2014, 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11418-7_8
    3. Baharlou, E., & Menges, A. (2015). Toward a behavioral design system : an agent-based approach for polygonal surfaces structures. Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), 161–172.
    4. Vasey, L., Baharlou, E., Dörstelmann, M., Koslowski, V., Prado, M., Schieber, G., Menges, A., & Knippers, J. (2015). Behavioral Design and Adaptive Robotic Fabrication of a Fiber Composite Compression Shell With Pneumatic Formwork. Computational Ecologies: Design in the Anthropocene, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), 297--309.

  10. 2014

    1. Schwinn, T., Krieg, O., & Menges, A. (2014). Behavioral Strategies: Synthesizing Design Computation and Robotic Fabrication of Lightweight Timber Plate Structures. Design Agency - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), 177--188.

  11. 2013

    1. Baharlou, E., & Menges, A. (2013). Generative agent-based design computation: Integrating material formation and construction constraints. Computation and Performance – Proceedings of the 31th ECAADe Conference, 2, 165--174.
    2. Parascho, S., Baur, M., Baharlou, E., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2013). Agent Based Model for the Development of Integrative Design Tools. Proceedings of the 33nd Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) – Adaptive Architecture, 429--430.
    3. Baharlou, E., & Menges, A. (2013). Behavioural prototyping: an approach to agent-based computational design driven by fabrication characteristics and material constraints. Rethinking Prototyping - Proceedings of the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin 2013, 291--303.

Contact Information

This image shows Tobias Schwinn

Tobias Schwinn

Dr.-Ing.

Head of Research and Research Infrastructure

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