A notation to aid column and beam layout design for reinforced concrete construction in China

Abstract

In this paper we report on the ongoing development of a toolkit to support the design of column and beam layouts for reinforced concrete structures in China. We present a visual, human-and machine-readable notation for architects and structural engineers to rapidly model column and beam layouts, as well as our underlying considerations. In conjunction with the toolkit, which consists of a CAD package, an editor, a parser, and an interpreter, the notation addresses aspects of local construction practice and supports design considerations including appearance, structural viability, constructability, and cost. © 2014, The Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA), Hong Kong.