Mick Eekhout Mick Eekhout is an Architect, Structural Engineer, Professor and independent designer. He is a member of Delft University and founder of Octatube Space Structures. With Octatube he is involved in architectural, structural and industrial design and product developments, as well as building management and general advice through Prof. Dr. Mick Eekhout Associates BV. Independent design, research & development and engineering projects are undertaken such as the space frame roof membrane decking for the Olympic stadium in Tunis, the dome of the cathedral in Ivory Coast, a suspended acoustical ceiling in the Royal Albert Hall in London; a cultural centre in Ash Dod with Japanese architect Takamatso and in Tel Aviv a cultural centre with architect Moshe Safdie from Boston: the Yitzak Rabin Centre.

Design , Engineering, Production & Realizations of Spatial Structures for ‘Liquid Design’ Architecture

Liquid designed buildings have been possible since the last decade because of the increase accuracies and 3D geometries of computer hardware and software. The design & engineering is the core of the operation and within this process the design decisions are most important. Complex issues can be dealt with by an analytical engineering approach. There is not a problem that cannot be solved. The rules of the game have to be played fair and open. These are the process requirements without which the innovations in Blob Architecture and Blob technology cannot be realized.

The new generation of ‘Liquid Designs’ for buildings with their computer designed arbitrary and non-rectilinear form, are mainly generated out of sculptural considerations by architects. All lessons from the past decades where systemized spatial structures and economical building industrialization were developed and their salutary regularities, do’s and don’ts were developed, seem to have been forgotten. The structural and cladding components of these buildings require an enormous effort in collaborative design and engineering. One would recommend that at least in the design phase the concept of the building technical composition would be developed simultaneously with the architectural concept. Both in the design & engineering phase as well as in the productions & realization phase an extremely high degree of collaboration between all able building parties concerned, is an absolute necessity to reach the goal of a successful ‘Fluent Design’ building, that is successful for all parties.