Case Study: Zaha Hadid Architects achieves a lightweight, structurally optimized Volu Pavilion with Altair HyperWorks

Stunning Form Optimized through Simulation Zaha Hadid’s Volu Pavilion

Zaha Hadid Architects’ co|de group was tasked with designing the Volu Pavilion — a visually complex, clam‑shell dining pavilion for Design Miami — that needed to be both structurally stable and as lightweight and material‑efficient as possible. To meet these goals the firm collaborated with Altair, using the Altair HyperWorks platform and Altair OptiStruct for early‑stage simulation and topology optimization to inform form and fabrication decisions.

Altair’s HyperWorks/OptiStruct workflow, integrated into Zaha Hadid Architects’ design tools via a custom plug‑in, drove topology optimization to remove unnecessary material, guide metal‑beam placement, and rationalize complex geometry for fabrication. The result, enabled by Altair, was a stable yet minimized‑weight pavilion, faster iteration and rationalization of optimization results, and a validated workflow Zaha Hadid Architects plans to scale to larger projects.

Zaha Hadid Architects

Vishu Bhooshan

Designer