An investigation on effort and applicability of a computation of a space partitioning from boundary representations of building components and rooms

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Huhnt
• Subject Area: Structural Engineering, Building Informatics and Construction Operation
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 424641234

Space partitioning has the advantage that neighboring relations are explicitly available. Digital models cover also surfaces of each object. Contact faces are available only once. However, such models are at present time not used in architecture and civil engineering. Other fields identified the advantages. An example is the field of indoor navigation. The research project investigates a novel method of computing space partitioning from given boundary representations of building components and rooms. The method is based on integer values for coordinates. A mesh of tetrahedrons is generated. Computations take place in this mesh; the mesh is not refined. This concept avoids uncontrollable refinements. Such uncontrollable refinements can take place during the insertion of so called Steiner points which are required in mesh refinement algorithms. On the other hand, intersections of a given geometry with the mesh need to be computed. Surfaces and volumes of given objects are computed based on these intersection points. The research in this project covers a systematic investigation on the effort of computation which is expressed by the storage requirements and the efficiencies of the algorithm. Statements concerning the behavior of the investigated method for realistic models of buildings are worked out. Models of residential and office buildings are selected as examples for the investigations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants