I’m working on the design of a parametric structural mesh that uses engineering calculations to drive the design of a surface and then uses the resultant form to re-engineer the structural members. Its a pretty simple concept, when there is a need for more structure, the surface compresses producing a tighter mesh, when there isn’t much force, the mesh becomes looser and the surface expands. I got the idea from looking in the window of Wolford on my way to work and seeing the mesh of some stockings stretching and getting tighter are they went over the mannequin. The trick is getting the surface to realize exactly how much it needs to deform versus how much it can deform. The analysis creates a feedback loop the cycles through the structural data and the surface until the form settles on the best balance between structural and design performance.