Ever since childhood, when he marveled at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, civil engineer and MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) Fellow Zane Schemmer has held a deep fascination for bridges. He is captivated not just by their aesthetic appeal but also by the engineering principles that underpin their design and construction.
As he prepared to enter college, Schemmer faced a choice between architecture and engineering. Driven by a desire to understand the fundamental principles behind structural engineering, he ultimately chose the latter. Today, Schemmer employs a design approach that is iterative and algorithmic, ensuring that forces within each segment of a structure are perfectly balanced. His goal? To create designs that optimize functionality, reduce carbon emissions, and remain feasible for manufacturing.
This holistic approach to structural design is groundbreaking; it enables optimization at levels that include the materials, angles, and configurations of joints that connect the major components of buildings, bridges, towers, and more.
According to Schemmer, there has been little advancement in the quest to minimize embodied carbon in structural designs. Much of the existing research yields designs that are often impractical for real-world application. The term ‘embodied carbon’ refers to the total carbon emissions throughout a structure’s entire lifecycle—from the extraction and production of materials to transportation, usage, and eventual demolition. Collaborating with Josephine V. Carstensen, the Gilbert W. Winslow Career Development Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, Schemmer is zeroing in on the construction phase of this lifecycle.
At the IASS 2024 symposium titled “Redefining the Art of Structural Design” in Zurich, Schemmer and Carstensen showcased their findings on Discrete Topology Optimization algorithms. These innovative algorithms can decrease the embodied carbon in structures such as bridges by up to 20%. This reduction is achieved through strategic materials selection that weighs not only a material’s functional performance and aesthetics but also accessibility, proximity to the construction site, and the carbon footprint associated with its production and transportation.
“The real innovation of our algorithm is its capacity to evaluate multiple materials within a highly constrained context, yielding manufacturable designs that respect targeted force flows,” Schemmer observes. “Real-world challenges are often complex, with numerous constraints. Traditional approaches struggle when faced with multiple complicated rules. Our objective is to integrate these constraints, streamlining the transfer of designs from digital platforms to actual construction.”
Consider a steel tower, which could exemplify an “incredibly lightweight and efficient solution,” Schemmer suggests. Steel’s strength means less material is required compared to alternatives like concrete or timber. However, producing and transporting steel is highly carbon-intensive. Importing steel from distant locations can significantly heighten its embodied carbon footprint. Schemmer’s topology optimization technique can replace some steel elements with timber or minimize steel usage in other parts, thus creating a hybrid structure—maximizing functionality while minimizing carbon emissions. “This explains why the same steel can yield two distinct optimized designs in different global locations,” he adds.
Hailing from the mountainous regions of Utah, Schemmer completed his BS and MS in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, concentrating on seismic design in his graduate studies. He describes this training as a robust traditional foundation, equipped to address some of engineering’s most daunting challenges while providing insights into the rituals and contemporary practices within structural engineering.
However, at MIT, he observes a different perspective: “Much of the work here seeks to break free from conventional societal norms, exploring how we might approach problems in more idealistic ways. I find this intriguing. Yet, I believe there is often a gap between the most ideal scenarios and our current state; thus, a bridge is necessitated. My educational background aids in seeing that connecting pathway.”
This metaphorical bridge is embodied in the topology optimization algorithms designed to enhance environmentally friendly construction practices.
“That’s where our optimization algorithm plays a pivotal role,” Schemmer notes. “Unlike traditional structures of yesteryears, our algorithm can assess the same design area and discover highly efficient uses of materials that still meet all structural codes and safety requirements.”
Herein lies the essence of the MAD Design Fellowship. This yearlong program supports graduate students financially as they connect with peers, faculty, and external innovators employing design in diverse and novel manners. Such collaboration fosters a richer understanding of iterative design processes.
“People often see their work through a narrow lens, informed by their past experiences. By examining it from an external viewpoint, they may realize, ‘Wow, I never considered this approach. Perhaps I should explore that.’ This can lead to new ideas and inspiration,” Schemmer reveals.
Though Schemmer chose a path in civil and structural engineering seven years ago, he reflects, “A century ago, architecture and structural engineering were not distinct professions. There was a seamless blend of aesthetic and structural considerations. While perhaps it is more efficient to separate these fields now, a comprehensive understanding of how these systems function collaboratively offers substantial advantages.”
This passion for structural integration brings us back to the Golden Gate Bridge, a source of enduring inspiration for Schemmer. Even now, he resonates with the awe he felt as a young child.
“It’s iconic,” he exclaims. “It connects two land masses rising steeply from the ocean, often shrouded in fog. It’s breathtaking, especially when considering the engineering prowess required to construct it over a century ago without modern computational tools. It’s astounding to think everything was calculated by hand, relying solely on human ingenuity.”
As Schemmer progresses through his doctoral studies at MIT, the MAD fellowship will expose him to a wealth of remarkable ideas across various fields, empowering him to merge innovative insights with his engineering expertise to develop enhanced methodologies for constructing bridges and other infrastructures.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
