This chapter describes a research thread at CITA which explores how computation and a challenging of traditional material practice can impact the use of timber in architectural design and fabrication. Several past research projects at CITA have demonstrated the potential for streamlining the design-to-production process using computational tools, and the value of working in concert with the inherent properties of wood. Current research continues this thread through a participation in the Innochain research network (http://innochain.net/) and collaboration with industrial partners White Arkitekter AB and Blumer-Lehmann AG. Through the embedding of digital tools within established timber design a fabrication processes, new workflows are proposed which could lead to more intelligent design decisions, optimized building components, and new timber morphologies. Keywords Wood design • Complex timber structures Parametric design and fabrication strategies • Optimization of wood architectures Digital wood workflows

This research project presents both innovative multi-scalar modelling methods and production processes aimed at facilitating the design and fabrication of free-form glue-laminated timber structures. The paper reports on a research effort that aims to elucidate and formalize the connection between material performance, multi-scalar modelling (Weinan 2011), and early-stage architectural design, in the context of free-form glue-laminated timber structures. This paper will examine how the concept of multi-scalar modelling as found in other disciplines can also be used to embed low-level material performance of glue-laminated timber into early-stage architectural design processes, thus creating opportunities for feedback across the design chain and an increased flexibility in effecting changes. The research uses physical prototypes as a means to explore and evaluate the methods presented.

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