Shear wall plan layout optimization considering seismic loads

Seismic force resistant structural design requires experience and time. Shear wall elements are generally used in concrete structures due to their high stiffness against horizontal forces. The aim of this study is to obtain optimum structural wall disposition by using building information modeling (BIM) technologies. Optimum structural wall layout study is a topology optimization that aims to achieve minimum cost, exact calculation result, and saving engineer's time. In any project, shear wall locations are specified mostly at the conceptual design stage while coworking with architectural, mechanical, and electrical (MEP) disciplines. Today's demands have made BIM usage mandatory as each discipline superposes federated BIM models to coordinate multiple objects. The main workflow of the study is obtaining possible wall locations from architectural models, then performing a series of structural analyses with different wall layout alternatives by using structural analysis software APIs with genetic algorithm (GA) until reaching an optimum result. Dynamo visual programming software and Python programming are used for creating BIM and structural models, linking BIM models to structural analysis software, getting structural analysis results, and running the algorithm. Afterward, obtained results have been listed and design charts have been created for different building heights and seismic conditions.