Form finding and optimization methods have become increasingly adopted in shell and spatial structure realizations. The use of these techniques has allowed for the creation of complex and innovative structures that were previously thought impossible. By using these techniques, designers and engineers can find forms that are structurally stable, visually stunning, and highly functional, while minimizing the use of materials, reducing waste and increasing the sustainability of innovative solutions. The session aims to explore new approaches and applications of these methods, with a particular focus on the challenges of designing and constructing complex structures. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of these techniques, their practical implications, providing them with valuable insights into the cutting-edge of structural design and optimization.

Reducing the environmental impacts of the built environment is an utmost necessity. This session aims to trigger discussion around the opportunities and enablers for:

1.  benchmarking embodied carbon of future and historical shells and long span roofs; 

2. developing systems that enable circularity, through but not limited to, design for reuse, and design for deconstruction and reuse; 

3. understanding the potential for advanced manufacturing and assembling of systems aiming to reduce the environmental impacts of construction processes.

Curved structures are increasingly popular in modern building design, and they can be found in a wide range of applications, including bridges, domes, shells, and roofs. This thematic session  is intended for researchers, engineers, and architects interested in the design and analysis of curved structures and will feature a series of talks regarding the latest research and advancements in the area of curved structures. Topics that will be covered include the modeling and analysis of curved structures, the effect of curved geometry on the structural behavior and stability, the use of advanced materials, and the impact of dynamic loads such as wind and earthquakes.

The hybridisation of flexible textile materials with other conventional rigid materials can be considered a field of research and experimentation useful to enhance and innovate shells and spatial structures. 

The session intends to address both recent advancements in the structural amount of technical textiles. Both coated textiles and new knitted textiles will be the subject of interest, as will the most innovative methods of design, industrial manufacturing and installation which must necessarily take into account the specific characteristics of the textile. Furthermore the session aims at opening a discussion on the environmental sustainability of hybrid and composite structures, reporting new methods and techniques on how to promote efficient separability of parts and correct end-of-life through design.

Multi-scale structures hold the promise of achieving superior performance while being intrinsically lightweight, robust, and multi-functional. In nature, many examples of these optimised structures exist. Imitating such properties involves designing complex structures that, in most cases, are unfeasible. Additive manufacturing (AM) processes unlocked a wide range of design possibilities, and part complexity is not a limit anymore for innovative engineers. With such possibilities, various technologies and corresponding applications have been developed for AM techniques, including aerospace, automotive, biomedical and construction. More comprehensive is the range of materials: polymers, metals, ceramics, glasses, biomaterials, concrete and multi-material systems. Famous examples of successful cases are the application of lattice, fractal or topology-optimised structures for structural, topology optimised or shock absorption applications.

Architecture in Space relies on some fundamental pillars that are intrinsically interconnected: space sciences, engineering, robotics, industrial design, architecture, ergonomics, medicine, psychology, and, last but not least, art. The Session is devoted to this new design challenge considering several expertise in various research fields and exploring strategies and solutions to settle on the Moon and on Mars permanent basis. Contributions will be involved in computational design and embed multi-objectives and topology optimization strategies for developing space architecture projects. The Moon and Mars environmental constraints and the possibility to use robotic autonomous construction systems with in situ resources utilization ISRU will be explored. 

The following research topics are of interest: Space architecture, Computational Design, Form-finding, ISRU, multi-objectives and topology optimization, Robotics, Deep Space Communication and navigation, Additive Manufacturing.

Arches and vaults have been used in construction for centuries, and they continue to be an important and widely used structural element in modern building design. The thematic session will feature a series of talks by experts in the field, who will present the latest research and advancements in the modeling and analysis of arches and vaults, the use of computational methods for predicting the behavior of these structures under various loading conditions, and the development of new analytical tools for assessing their stability and safety. The talks will also address the challenges associated with the preservation and conservation of masonry arches and vaults, such as the need for non-destructive testing and the use of advanced materials and techniques for repairing and strengthening these structures.

This session will focus on the practical application of construction principles in real-world projects. Experts in the field will present case studies that highlight successful examples of present and past realizations, including innovative approaches to design, construction, and operation. 

Topics will include special construction techniques, sustainable building practices, energy-efficient systems, and the use of advanced technologies to optimize building performance. 

Historical vaulted structures have complex and irregular geometries. Nowadays, thanks to terrestrial laser scanners and digital photogrammetry, it is possible to measure them very accurately, building detailed 3D models that may be used to define structural models and detect structural deformations. These deformations may result from the combination of various phenomena over time, including construction process, long-term creep, foundation displacements, variations in static loadings, earthquakes, among others. Although they do necessarily compromise the stability of the construction (masonry structures are highly redundant and highly nonlinear even for low values of stresses), they may provide relevant information on its actual equilibrium condition and damage state. The problem is that identifying actual structural deformations in historic masonry structures is not an easy task. How can they be distinguished from original geometrical irregularities, derived from artisanal construction techniques, and from further constructive modifications? This session aims at collecting multi-disciplinary studies able to raise a discussion on these topics.