Case Study: Biberach University of Applied Science achieves lighter, stiffer, and material‑efficient architectural designs with Altair OptiStruct

Biberach University of Applied Science - Customer Case Study

Biberach University of Applied Science’s Institute for Architecture and Urban Development (IAS), led by Prof. Dr. Irmgard Lochner‑Aldinger, needed a way to teach students and explore designs that are simultaneously modern, buildable, stiff and material‑efficient. To bridge architecture and engineering in both coursework and research, the university turned to Altair and its OptiStruct topology‑optimization technology to introduce optimization‑driven design into studio projects and structural investigations.

Using Altair’s OptiStruct, the institute ran topology optimizations—from Prof. Lochner’s redesign of the Gatti Wool Factory ceiling to student projects that produced a diatom‑inspired latticed dome and a cactus‑inspired tubular skyscraper—maximizing stiffness while minimizing material. The Altair solution delivered lighter, stiffer, and more buildable forms, reduced material consumption and cost, cut the number of design iterations between architects and engineers, and improved collaboration and fidelity to initial concepts; the team plans to continue using Altair tools (including solidThinking Inspire) in future teaching and research.

Biberach University of Applied Science

Irmgard Lochner

Professor