Automated design of large structures requires efficient and accurate optimization algorithms because of a large number of design variables and design constraints. The objective of this study is to examine the characteristics of the Kreisselmeier -Steinhauser envelope function and to investigate va tidily of accumulating constraint functions into a small number of constraint functions or even into a single constraint function. The commercial package DOT is adopted as a local optimizer. The optimum results using the envelope function are compared with those of the conventional method for a number of numerical examples and the differences between them are shown to be negligible.