
Dr.
Tom
Van Mele
Dr. Tom Van Mele is Senior Scientist and co-director at the Block Research Group (BRG) at ETH Zurich. Tom studied architecture and structural engineering at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, and he received his PhD in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Marijke Mollaert. Tom is an expert in graphic statics, graphical design and analysis techniques, computational form finding and optimisation, data structures, scientific programming and web technologies. Tom’s technical and computational developments have been consolidated into COMPAS, an open source Computational framework for collaboration and research in Architecture and Structures. Within the NCCR Tom is the lead developer of COMPAS, the open-source computational framework for collaboration and research in architecture, structures and digital fabrication.
Role in the NCCR Digital Fabrication
Affiliation
NCCR publications
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- Date: 01.01.2024
- Authors: Li Chen, Heidi Silvennoinen, Prof. Dr. Catherine de Wolf, Prof. Dr. Daniel Hall, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: IASS Annual Symposium (IASS 2024)
- Notes: Conference lecture held on August 28, 2024
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Digitally fabricated ribbed concrete floor slabs: a sustainable solution for construction (2022)
- Date: 06.07.2022
- Authors: Dr. Jaime Mata Falcón, Patrick Bischof, Dr. Tobias Huber, Dr. Ana Anton, Dr. Joris Burger, Dr. Francesco Ranaudo, Dr. Andrei Jipa, Dr. Lukas Gebhard, Dr. Lex Reiter, Prof. Dr. Ena Lloret-Fritschi, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Prof. Fabio Gramazio, Prof. Matthias Kohler, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger, Dr. Timothy Wangler, Prof. Dr. Walter Kaufmann
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Coupled Rigid-Block Analysis: Stability-Aware Design of Complex Discrete-Element Assemblies (2022)
- Date: 01.05.2022
- Authors: Dr. Gene Ting-Chun Kao, Antonino Iannuzzo, Bernhard Thomaszewski, Prof. Dr. Stelian Coros, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Understanding the rigid-block equilibrium method by way of mathematical programming (2021)
- Date: 01.12.2021
- Authors: Dr. Gene Ting-Chun Kao, Antonino Iannuzzo, Prof. Dr. Stelian Coros, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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- Date: 01.06.2021
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Lex Reiter, Prof. Dr. Robert Flatt, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Leichte Schalung für komplexe Dachgeometrie (2021)
- Date: 01.03.2021
- Authors: Dr. Tom Van Mele, Juney Lee, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Design of a funicular concrete bridge with knitted formwork (2021)
- Date: 01.01.2021
- Authors: Sam Bouten, Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Francesco Ranaudo, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Pierre Mengeot, Kenneth Wyns
- Event: IABSE Congress: Structural Engineering for Future Societal Needs
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A low-carbon, funicular concrete floor system: design and engineering of the HiLo floors (2021)
- Date: 01.01.2021
- Authors: Dr. Francesco Ranaudo, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: IABSE Congress: Structural Engineering for Future Societal Needs
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Analysis and optimisation of a rib-stiffened vaulted floor for dynamic performance (2020)
- Date: 15.06.2020
- Authors: Hao Wu, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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- Date: 06.04.2020
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: Fabricate 2020 (virtual)
- Notes: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the conference was conducted virtually.
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Redefining structural art: strategies, necessities and opportunities (2020)
- Date: 01.01.2020
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Francesco Ranaudo, Dr. Cristian Javier Calvo Barentin, Noelle Paulson
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KnitCrete: Building in Concrete with a Stay-in-Place Knitted Fabric Formwork (2020)
- Date: 01.01.2020
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Optimising the load path of compression-only thrust networks through independent sets (2019)
- Date: 01.07.2019
- Authors: Dr. Andrew Liew, Ricardo Maia Avelino, Vahid Moosavi, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Notes: It was possible to publish this article open access thanks to a Swiss National Licence with the publisher.
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A Cable-Net and Fabric Formwork System for the Construction of Concrete Shells (2019)
- Date: 01.04.2019
- Authors: Tomás Méndez Echenagucia, Dave Pigram, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Function Representation for Robotic 3D Printed Concrete (2019)
- Date: 01.01.2019
- Authors: Dr. Shajay Bhooshan, Johannes Ladinig, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design (Rob|Arch 2018)
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Betonschale mit gestrickter Schalung (2019)
- Date: 01.01.2019
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Active control of a rod-net formwork system prototype (2018)
- Date: 01.12.2018
- Authors: Dr. Andrew Liew, Yvonne R. Stürz, Sebastien Guillaume, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Roy Smith, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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- Date: 01.06.2018
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Lex Reiter, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Robert Flatt, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Design, fabrication and testing of discrete 3D sand-printed floor prototypes (2018)
- Date: 01.06.2018
- Authors: Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Robotically controlled scale-model testing of masonry vault collapse (2018)
- Date: 01.05.2018
- Authors: Cristián Calvo Barentin, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Notes: It was possible to publish this article open access thanks to a Swiss National Licence with the publisher.
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Ultraleichtes, flexibles Schalungssystem für dünne, textilbe wehrte Betonschalen (2018)
- Date: 01.03.2018
- Authors: Dr. Tom Van Mele, Tomás Méndez Echenagucia, David Pigram, Dr. Andrew Liew, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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Full-scale prototype of a cable-net and fabric formed concrete thin-shell roof (2018)
- Date: 01.01.2018
- Authors: Tomás Méndez Echenagucia, Dave Pigram, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures Symposium: Creativity in Structural Design (IASS 2018)
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Compressive Assemblies: Bottom-Up Performance for a New Form of Construction (2017)
- Date: 01.07.2017
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele
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Design, fabrication and testing of a prototype, thin-vaulted, unreinforced concrete floor (2017)
- Date: 15.04.2017
- Authors: Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. David López López, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
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- Date: 01.01.2017
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Noelle Paulson
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The Armadillo Vault: Balancing computation and traditional craft (2017)
- Date: 01.01.2017
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, David Escobedo
- Event: Fabricate 2017
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The Armadillo Vault: Balancing Computation and Traditional Craft (2017)
- Date: 01.01.2017
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele
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Equilibrium-Aware Shape Design for Concrete Printing (2017)
- Date: 01.01.2017
- Authors: Dr. Shajay Bhooshan, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: Design Modelling Symposium Paris 2017
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Automated generation of knit patterns for non-developable surfaces (2017)
- Date: 01.01.2017
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: Design Modelling Symposium Paris 2017
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Armadillo Vault - An extreme discrete stone shell (2016)
- Date: 01.10.2016
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Matthew J. DeJong, John A. Ochsendorf, Matt Escobedo, David Escobedo
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Data management and modelling of complex interfaces in imperfect discrete-element assemblies (2016)
- Date: 01.01.2016
- Authors: Ursula Frick, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: IASS 2016 Tokyo Symposium: Spatial Structures in the 21st Century
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The Armadillo Vault: Computational design and digital fabrication of a freeform stone shell (2016)
- Date: 01.01.2016
- Authors: Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Dr. Mariana Popescu, Edyta Augustynowicz, Tomás Méndez Echenagucia, Dr. Cristian Javier Calvo Barentin, Ursula Frick, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: 5th Advances in Architectural Geometry Symposium (AAG 2016)
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Complex concrete casting: knitting stay-in-place formwork (2016)
- Date: 01.01.2016
- Authors: Dr. Mariana Popescu, Dr. Matthias Rippmann, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: IASS 2016 Tokyo Symposium: Spatial Structures in the 21st Century
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Non-prismatic bending/torsion beam elements for form finding by dynamic relaxation (2016)
- Date: 01.01.2016
- Authors: Maryanne Wachter, Dr. Andrew Liew, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: IASS 2016 Tokyo Symposium: Spatial Structures in the 21st Century
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Decomposing three-dimensional shapes into self-supporting discrete element assemblies (2015)
- Date: 01.01.2015
- Authors: Ursula Frick, Dr. Tom Van Mele, Prof. Dr. Philippe Block
- Event: Design Modelling Symposium 2015