Generative design for dimensioning of retaining walls

Abstract

The design of retaining walls follows a classic structure. The engineer proposes certain dimensions that will be modified until they comply with the regulatory and site restrictions presented by the project. This is an iterative process that can be optimized through a new method called generative design. The designer codes the characteristics and restrictions of the project so that the system creates the most appropriate solutions to the problem presented. In this research, a computer program was created to build the dimensions of retaining walls using generative design. For this purpose, Design Science Research (DSR) was used, complemented with the incremental software development method. A program that delivers multiple retaining wall design alternatives in a short time was constructed. The evaluation of this program was performed through usability tests, giving as main perceptions the program’s ease of use and the time savings concerning the traditional design.