Lightweight structures made of thin sheet metal

For many years, the use of steel in the construction industry was characterized by strict specifications regarding the semi-finished products that could be used and often gave steel structures the character of "modular systems". The modernization of processing methods changed and improved these conditions. In the digital era, it is now possible to create a process chain not only on the production end, but also on the design, presentation, planning and construction end, with the support of which highly individualized steel components can be produced, which in return form part of individualized structures. With these means, lightweight sheet metal structures with individual design can be created, as impressively demonstrated by two prototypes that were created at RWTH Aachen University in cooperation between the Chair of Structures and Structural Design and the Institute of Metal Forming. The novel construction method using thin sheet metal opens up a canon of shapes that was previously rather inaccessible to steel construction and proves to be extremely material saving, thus being in line with the trend of sustainable construction of our time.