The building construction sector is undergoing one of the most profound transformations towards the digital transition of production. In recent decades, the advent of a novel technology for the 3D printing of clay opened up new sustainable possibilities in construction. Some architectural applications of 3D-printed clay bricks with simple internal configurations are being developed around the world. On the other hand, the full potential of 3D-printed bricks for building production is still unknown. Scientific studies about the design and printability of 3D-printed bricks exploiting complex internal geometries are completely missing in the related literature. This paper explores the new boundaries of 3D-printed clay bricks realized with a sustainable extrusion-based 3D clay printing process by proposing a novel conception, design, and analysis. In particular, the proposed methodological approach includes: (i) conception and design; (ii) parametric modeling; (iii) simulation of printability; and (iv) prototyping. The new design and conception aim to fully exploit the potential of 3D printing to realize complex internal geometry in a 3D-printed brick. To this aim, the research investigates the printability of internal configuration generated by using geometries with well-known remarkable mechanical properties, such as periodic minimal surfaces. In conclusion, the results are validated by a wide prototyping campaign.

In this paper an insight on innovative implementation strategies and operative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) regarding Intelligent Buildings (IBs) is provided. Data-driven knowledge extraction and re-usage can be a valid source of information to study the whole building life-cycle as a process to optimize. Today, new challenges can be provided thanks to ICT and Internet of Things (IoT) paradigms that allow big data to be stored, processed and analysed. This approach is still not deeply applied in construction engineering fields. In order to analyse the related literature, first a framework to describe the IB technological environment is proposed. Second, the literature is reviewed according to this framework and focusing on ICT tools and implementation aspects for the whole building life-cycle. To the best of our knowledge, there isn't yet a survey focusing on innovative operative tools adopted in the development of the ICT technological layer of IB. The reviewed literature is discussed by identifying implemented technologies and related ICT tools and classifying applications in building life-cycle. Finally, critical aspects are singled out and opportunities for future developments in the field of IBs are outlined.

The paper presents SAP.py2.0, a Python-based tool that interfaces with SAP2000 through its Open Application Programming Interface (OAPI) to automate the generation of combinatorial structural scenarios. In the field of structural health monitoring, the use of finite element models is fundamental for assessing the current condition of structures and infrastructures. Usually, data-driven methods can be used to calibrate a numerical model against experimental data and to recognize damage patterns from structural response. Both goals share two open problems: (a) calibrating damage scenarios within a numerical model requires a systematic and often manual variation of uncertain parameters across a large combinatorial space; (b) data-driven methods require labelled datasets that are rarely available for real (and damaged) structures. With the aim to facilitate above concerns, the paper proposes a new tool, able to modify the initial structural model according to the analyst’s preference. Unlike existing OAPI-based tools, which embed scenario generation inside a single optimization loop tailored to one specific objective, SAP.py2.0 deliberately decouples scenario generation from any downstream task, in order to define a specific dataset, which can be reused for different scopes (e.g., model updating, statistical analysis, machine learning). The tool allows modification of four categories of structural parameters, that is, frame elastic moduli, shell elastic moduli, internal constraints, and external constraints. The modifications can be performed individually or in combination, through a graphical user interface. The paper reports the full description of the tool, which is subsequently demonstrated on a real-life complex case study, presenting masonry and reinforced concrete structural parts, and uncertain internal connectivity degree. The results show that automating scenario generation, independently from any specific optimization target, can support both classical model updating and data-driven tasks.