This research develops a spatial transformation model to work as a tool to address all possible layouts that can be expected when a building is changed. This tool provides tangible answers to the different spatial configuration possibilities of an apartment that can exist within one building design. It combines existing knowledge about the flexibility and adaptability of building elements with spatial and configurative information about an meant to generate alternative solutions. It can help the designer to explore variations, educate them on the different possibilities, support their decision-making, provide custom-fit solutions, and collaborate between different actors within a housing project. The main research question asked in this research is: “How can the extent of spatial alternatives of an apartment configuration be explicated within a building design?”. First an apartment building is deconstructed and its constituent parts are analyzed on their spatial flexibility implications. The second part of the research focuses on the definition and requirements of spaces. Every space inside a two person starter’s apartment is evaluated on their configurational, ergonomic, and legislative constraints. The third part of the research combines the building constraints and the spatial definitions of the room to build a layout generator. Finally the floorplans, that are generated by this model are evaluated on their validity and veracity. The overall functionality of the model is compared to an existing spatial flexibility assessment model and a spatial generative model.

Designing structures that are more sustainable is a relevant topic within the construction industry. By choosing materials that have a low embodied energy value and optimizing the structures that can be constructed by these materials, one could potentially minimize the economical and environmental footprint of a structural design.

As burnt clay bricks have a relatively low embodied energy value, are relatively cheap as a construction material and are relatively durable, it is interesting to investigate the optimization of masonry structures. To achieve this, use is made of topology optimization. To accurately optimize the topology of masonry structures however, this optimization must be performed based on the results of a discrete element analysis. This thesis presents several methods to set up such a model based on masonry structures of arbitrary size and lay-out, departing from the smallest scale: the individual brick.

First, a method is developed to create arbitrary shapes for bricks. An algorithm is developed to parametrically create structures for two distinct shapes. A procedure to abstract these structures and translate their geometrical representation to a simplified numerical model is then presented. Several
methods for structural analyses are detailed and their results are evaluated and compared. The results of these analyses are used to optimize the topology of the initial structure by means of the Method of Moving Asymptotes. The resulting structures are then verified using 3DEC. Finally, some applications of the developed method are presented along with future visions.