It is well known that a large part of the existing European building stock needs to be renovated to increase structural and energy performance. Unfortunately, deep renovations come with high initial costs, and therefore, owners and real estate developers often prefer complete demolition and reconstruction. Both options depend on specific factors, and to select which option could be the closest to the optimal scenario, it is necessary to evaluate all environmental, social, and economic indicators. Life Cycle Analysis is of great significance to evaluate building sustainability, in particular through the comparison between different design alternatives. However, the life cycle impacts of the construction stage depend on selected materials and technologies that can be subject to change during the subsequent stages of the design process, i.e., moving from preliminary design to detailed design and execution plans. With the aim of understanding the role of LCA during the design process, the case study of “ProGETonE—Proactive Synergy of Integrated Efficient Technologies on Buildings’ Envelopes” has been addressed, leading to the observation that the impacts, in particular the global warming potential (GWP), raised significantly. Building Information Modelling (BIM) helped the information sharing and management of this project, which consists of the deep renovation and architectural reshaping of an existing student residence through the construction of integrated façade systems.

This paper aims to indicate a new methodological approach, based on generative algorithms, to attempt a more in-depth and transversal understanding of the behavior of these wooden structures. The developed method accelerates modeling procedures and brings on new tools for analyzing these structural systems when surveyed through TLS devices. The main topic of this work is the most recent step of a wider research project that has analyzed a few wooden roofing structures in the area of bologna. These case studies are represented by a set of important churches in Bologna, all built between the 16th and 18th centuries, whose pitched roofs are supported by timber trusses. Among them, the most impressive is the wooden truss in the St. Peter Cathedral that has approximately 26 meters of span, 7 meters of height for nearly 9 tons of weight. It also shows a complex static conception with the coexistence of an external nondeformable triangle and an internal virtual discharging arc. The focus is on the transformation of the point cloud into 3D models using parametric modeling tools such as Grasshopper generative algorithms. These algorithms, once created for a single truss, allow to automatically generating 3D models of all trusses, changing only input parameters.

The article describes the development of a WPC product, and it was possible to explore the topics in depth thanks to the multi-year cooperation between some Universities and an Italian manufacturing company. It summarises, in a critical manner, the activity that led to the optimisation of the product according to a series of criteria such as durability, physical–mechanical characteristics, production costs, processability and reduction of environmental impact. The data collected along the way are numerous, concerning flexural strength, imbibition, durability and real behaviour in relation to the exposure to atmospheric agents, solar radiation and the marine environment, of applications carried out with continuity from the early 2000s to the present day. The analysis of the evolution of the product, both in terms of its material composition and its applications, is conducted through the main steps that led to the variations in the formula of the compound, to the changes in the production process, such as the transition from 'one-step' to 'two-step' production lines, and to important implementations for building and marine industries. The final section of the article deals with possible future research topics to lead to product improvement in response to real technical and market needs. The novelty of this contribution lies in providing a concise view of the product development process in relation to experimental tests and the needs of manufacturers and users.