This paper describes a novel approach to structural optimisation based on learning design strategies rather than searching for optimal solutions. In the proposed approach, an AI agent is trained through Reinforcement Learning (RL) to explore a 3D modelling environment and iteratively morph a flat NURBS surface into a doubly-curved shell structure. At each iteration of the 3D modelling process, the agent computes the maximum structural displacement through FEM analysis: it learns to select modelling actions through this feedback and progressively improves the performance of the input surface. Unlike current applications of RL in structural design, where the AI agent generates design options by recombining a predefined set of design variables, our approach aims to create structural forms through the interaction of a designer and an AI agent within a 3D modelling environment. An application illustrates that our agent can interpret a preliminary structural form defined by a designer and iteratively transform such a form to improve its structural performance. The trained agent can hence transform the geometry and improve the structural performance of any open surface that features a square footprint and is defined through a sequence of modelling commands. Preliminary results suggest that this AI agent can be used for the development of more interactive tools for structural design and optimisation.

The design of music venues, such as concert halls and open-air concert stages, requires an integrated approach in which the acoustic response of the space being created is evaluated at every stage of the process to inform its formal development and associated performance. Various software exists to assess acoustic performance: Odeon is considered by many as the industry standard standalone software for detailed and accurate acoustic analyses, whereas Pachyderm is a plugin for Grasshopper (Rhinoceros 3D), which provides architects and engineers with more rapid feedback on preliminary design ideas because of its integration with a parametric modelling environment. Although an experienced acoustic designer could rapidly learn to use any of these programs, their usefulness during conceptual design or teaching activities is limited by the computational power and time required to get acoustic performance results. In these instances, testing time is more valuable than accuracy. This paper introduces Aeolus, an acoustic modelling plugin for Grasshopper. Unlike other similar Grasshopper plugins, Aeolus allows users to control the simulation accuracy and can therefore be used to rapidly test the performance of design ideas. Aeolus can also easily be interfaced with various Grasshopper optimisation plugins. Aeolus v0.1 was publicly released on 7 March 2023, and will be the focus of a Masterclass offered at the IASS Symposium 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.

Delivery methods of Higher Education classes have been scrutinised globally during the COVID-19 pandemic as academics and students were forced to shift rapidly to online delivery modes. In a post-COVID-19 scenario innovative teaching and learning approaches are required to rethink how large student cohorts can be educated online and on campus in a meaningful way, thereby reenvisioning the traditional lecture and its wider class context. This paper reports on the approach taken by the authors who restructured and redesigned an existing second-year undergraduate subject in an Australian architecture faculty. They collaborated with specialist learning designers to develop a blended mode of large-class delivery that simultaneously addresses their students' desire to engage with subject content flexibly and asynchronously, whilst benefitting from in-person interaction in the classroom. The new subject was subsequently delivered for the first time at the point of writing this paper.

]This paper presents the development and application of a computational workflow for the design and fabrication of acoustic concrete shells. The workflow allows controlling the shape of small, curved panels that can be assembled into continuous surfaces. The panels are designed to comply with the robotic fabrication requirements of a novel Parametric Adjustable Mould (PAM) technology, and assembled to create shells that satisfy a set of acoustic requirements. The technology is used to prototype custom curved concrete panels using a single mould frame that reduces waste in concrete formwork.

This paper presents the construction of Airshell, a small timber gridshell prototype erected by employing a pneumatic formwork. Inspired by the work of Frei Otto and Dante Bini, the technique is based on a pneumatic membrane and an Arduino® board – the former used as dynamic formwork and the latter to monitor both the structure height and the membrane pressure throughout the process. The prototype was erected in Pesaro, Italy, in December 2016; the design replicates a gridshell built in Lecce in 2009 by the Italian company "Gridshell.it", which was built through a more conventional push-up technique. A comparison between the two erection methods is therefore proposed in terms of construction speed and accuracy/precision of the built form. Design and technological aspects, as well as time frame and budget of the proposed construction technique are detailed within the text. The paper also discusses the relationship between the digital simulation of the erection process, which was already formulated by Liuti et al. in 2015, and the actual results achieved.

Construction has always been a fascinating and challenging aspect of timber gridshells. So far, only three techniques have successfully been used for the erection of such structures: the so-called ‘lift-up’, ‘push-up’ and ‘ease-down’ (Quinn et al. 2015). Inflatable Membrane Technology is here proposed as a new solution and is tested by means of numerical simulations on a simple case study. As a matter of fact, IMT reduces the timber lath’s stress during erection and guarantees an optimal shape control. It also seems suitable to post-form more challenging gridshell geometries, but this aspect still deserves further investigations and experiments.

This paper describes a new erection technique for post-formed timber gridshells which takes advantage of inflatable membrane technology. Consolidated construction techniques for timber gridshells are based either on “pull-up” / “push-up” (i.e. Mannheim Multihalle) or “ease-down” behavior (i.e. Downland Open Air Museum). However, these techniques show shortcomings already at small scale. When applied to large scale, a lack of a standardised, cost-effective erection method implies that techniques have to be reinvented every time. When construction becomes expensive and laborious, gridshells become affordable only for exceptional projects, such as the Downland Museum or the Mannheim Multihalle. These are among the reasons why gridshells are not widely applied, even if they enable covering large spans with a minimum amount of material; they are built from basic technologies though self-construction; they are fast to construct; they are entirely recyclable. In this work, an inflatable membrane is designed and used to erect a gridshell prototype with a footprint of 55m2. Inspiration comes from the work by architect Dante Bini, who realised thousands of inflatable concrete domes worldwide.

The Italian architect Dante Bini began his studies on shell structures during the 1960s. He developed and refined a form-finding and construction technique to erect a finished large-span reinforced concrete (RC) shell structure through the use of an inflatable membrane. This system was patented in 1964 under the name ‘Binishell’ and, over the following decades, it has been applied to construct hundreds of domes throughout the world. Bini’s invention fitted perfectly into the Italian post-war tradition, as he was, at the same time, the architect and builder of his structures. A few experimental tests were initially performed in Italy, and the first binishells that he lifted after the patent was filed were also constructed there. Since 1966, as a result of Mario Salvadori’s interest, Bini has been recognised internationally. In 1974 he moved to Australia after the NSW Department of Public Works asked him to realise a set of school facilities using the binishell technology. The construction of concrete shells has always been a difficult and expensive process – the preparation of formworks, as well as the installation of curved reinforcing rods before the concrete is poured, require experience and increase the construction costs. Such problems are particularly relevant in the Australian context, where the use of simple and rapid construction technologies has always been a priority. Dante Bini’s life and the binishell technology have been well documented from the historical point of view. However, a detailed report and contextualisation of Dante Bini’s Australian experience is still missing. A first attempt to survey the Australian binishells has already been published by the authors.2 The focus was on placing Bini’s early work within the previous research on pneumatic structures which began in the 1920s. The narrative of this paper instead starts in the 1960s, a period of great media success for RC shells. First, the origin of binishells is described as a natural consequence of three preceding inventions/patents. A timeline of the events that defined Bini’s emigration to Australia is then provided. A full list of the Australian binishells is also included, with detailed information on the archival sources, major alterations and current conditions.

Before the introduction of NURBS-based CAD software and optimisation, the design of form-resistant structures was based on the use of either experimental tools (physical form-finding) or analytical surfaces, and architects were challenged in the articulation of spaces from the intrinsic characteristics/rules of structural forms. An outstanding example of this kind is provided by the Church of Longuelo, which was built by architect Pino Pizzigoni in Italy, between 1961-1966. It was conceived as composed by two major elements – an irregular frame and a set of shells suspended to it. The entire design process was based on the calculation of the frame on which the shells have been just added as a dead load. This paper presents one possible way to redesign the church parametrically. Comparison with the original design is not performed at the final formal level, which can logically differ, but around the concepts behind the project. The aim is to show how current digital design and optimisation tools are affecting the way architects design. But, at a higher level, the purpose is also to highlight where conceptual design is now taking place in the process.