Digital tools and services relying on digital technology are becoming more pervasive, and are widespread in many different stages of the design process of structures. In this study, design optimisation from the perspective of architectural and structural engineering design is explored. Although, until recently, optimisation was recognised as a ‘tough’ mathematical tool, its evolution in terms of usability and efficiency have made it attractive for improving architectural design from the earliest stages of the design approach. Specialised digital tools that are able to support all structural engineering optimising requirements are somewhat difficult to develop; instead, customised structural design optimisation services have recently appeared. This work presents different strategies for parametrising distinctive variables involved in the definition of each architectural synthesis, which are defined as the main goal in architectural design optimisation and the structural design optimisation. A review of optimisation processes and optimisation tools in the field of architecture, engineering and construction is then provided. Recent paradigms from the built environment where parametric optimisation procedures have been applied in real-world design practice are also presented.

The objective of this research is to support sustainable architecture where renewable materials (such as plant-based materials and soil) are used for construction. The use of renewable materials and earthen building techniques in structural design represent important construction practices to mitigate the associated carbon footprint. In this study we propose structural systems that will be constructed using renewable materials such as bamboo, that probably is the most well-known renewable material and has long been valued as an alternative to wood. The main goal of the study is to design tree-shaped structural systems using the advanced characteristics of Guadua angustifolia, a clumping variety of bamboo chiefly native to South America, and to test its effectiveness by means of a structural parametric design optimization approach. For this purpose, an elliptical and a quadrangular structural system is parametrized and optimized to effectively support the design loads imposed by the roof that is supported by the proposed structural systems.

In the world of structural design, in most cases, there is a need to control the shape of structural elements and—at the same time—the performance that each one can achieve. With the evolution of structural analysis tools, nowadays it is possible not only to have an immediate investigation of the structure’s performance, but also to search for the best shape by imposing geometric constraints. The aim of this paper is to present an innovative methodology called the performative structural design optimization (PSDO) method, based on the use of algorithm-aided design (AAD). The proposed approach deals with an emptied voided beam; starting from the parameterization of a large-span beam, the search method for the most performing shape is accomplished by multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). The obtained results are characterized by a double optimization: the structure achieved by the hypervolume estimation algorithm for multi-objective optimization (HypE Reduction) (OCTOPUS) represents the starting shape for the application of form-finding, giving so the possibility to obtain different feasible solutions from a single study and to choose the best one in terms of structural behavior.

Bridges are geometrically complex infrastructures, and their designs usually exhibit significant geometric variations between different structural solutions. The modelling complexity implies a low degree of model reuse in comparable projects; moreover, with the development of new technologies and design ways, the AEC industry often requires computational cost reduction, less time for model developments and analysis, and little-to-zero material waste in the face of the environmental emergency. The present document proposes a generative approach to enhance the bridge design process, increasing efficiency by reducing computational costs and modelling efforts, tackling the aforementioned objectives. The following methodology relies on a workflow to create flexible geometric models, introducing parameters and numerical relationships between all the design variables. Therefore, from a generative development, different geometric solutions of a bridge’s family are created by modifying the parameter settings within the same model. Then, the present work aims to define a modelling and analysis strategy for a multi-girder composite bridge project based on parametric development, structural analysis, and optimization. The results integrate building information modeling (BIM) to explore and create high-potential designs with complex geometries and find cost-effective solutions.

Random vibration analysis is a mathematical tool that offers great advantages in predicting the mechanical response of structural systems subjected to external dynamic loads whose nature is intrinsically stochastic, as in cases of sea waves, wind pressure, and vibrations due to road asperity. Using random vibration analysis is possible, when the input is properly modeled as a stochastic process, to derive pieces of information about the structural response with a high quality (if compared with other tools), especially in terms of reliability prevision. Moreover, the random vibration approach is quite complex in cases of non-linearity cases, as well as for non-stationary inputs, as in cases of seismic events. For non-stationary inputs, the assessment of second-order spectral moments requires resolving the Lyapunov matrix differential equation. In this research, a numerical procedure is proposed, providing an expression of response in the state-space that, to our best knowledge, has not yet been presented in the literature, by using a formal justification in accordance with earthquake input modeled as a modulated white noise with evolutive parameters. The computational efforts are reduced by considering the symmetry feature of the covariance matrix. The adopted approach is applied to analyze a multi-story building, aiming to determine the reliability related to the maximum inter-story displacement surpassing a specified acceptable threshold. The building is presumed to experience seismic input characterized by a non-stationary process in both amplitude and frequency, utilizing a general Kanai–Tajimi earthquake input stationary model. The adopted case study is modeled in the form of a multi-degree-of-freedom plane shear frame system.