The contribution presents the results of an applied research aimed at developing an operative methodology and its corresponding data-driven and user-friendly computational workflow for the design of climate-resilient building façade (CRBF) able to adapt to the variation of the environmental conditions through morphology configuration. The research consists of an expansion of an already defined computational workflow proposed to design performance-based architectures and applicable in the early stage of the design process. As far as the façade design is concerned, the contribution foresees to obtain a series of intermediate objectives that contribute to the achievement of optimized design solutions for unitized multifunctional façades which presents different benchmark parameters in relation to the specific design phase and the climate zones in which the façade can be located. The research proposes a case study located in Abu Dhabi (sub-tropical, arid climate) to explore the relationship described above. The research was carried out in two consequential phases, early-stage and mid-stage, involving various benchmarks and different optimization processes that all together describe the complexity of building façade. The design of modular and parametrically façade demonstrates the reliability of the proposed methodology in ensuring benchmarks achieving and optimizing performative aspects, defined according to site's climate analysis.

This research aims at developing an innovative methodology and the related computational workflow to design energy efficient buildings equipped with climate responsive building skins able to respond dynamically to environmental conditions changing over the time. This methodology, called Adaptive Building and Skin (AB&S), is applicable in different climate zones and consists of a computational form-finding method, which supports architects and engineers in the buildings' design process resulting in buildings with optimized energy performance and a high level of indoor and outdoor comfort under changing environmental conditions. The innovativeness of AB&S lies in the fact that it includes the entire design process and considers several internal and external inputs to find the best solutions at all scales of a project: starting from the micro urban-scale with the design of the site and of the building shape, down to the building-scale and finally the skin-scale. Applicability and functionality of AB&S has been tested and improved in the design of office buildings located in specific cities located in different climate zones (cold, temperate, tropical and subtropical). Results of the application in Berlin, Germany, are presented in detail in this paper.

The variety of hazards with a potential impact on cultural heritage requires a multidisciplinary approach and a preliminary overview of the existing methods for risk assessment in order to define a comprehensive hazard taxonomy. The starting point of the research thus aims to build a multidisciplinary framework to support the risk assessment process according to the classification of cultural heritage based on the harmonization of European vocabularies’ definitions and protocols. To collect the necessary information, such as hazard classification, indicators, indices and thresholds, a series of methodologies was adopted: analysis of the main international protocols and the EU Research projects related to risk assessment in cultural heritage, expert-based knowledge and a systematic literature review. The research aims to fill a gap in the field of quantitative and indicator-based risk assessment that does not present a unique and all-encompassing framework capable of collecting the main natural and anthropic risks along with the related taxonomy in a single repository. The framework has been set up to be consulted by researchers, professionals and public administrations to support the evaluation process of potential risks on tangible outdoor heritage enabling users to incrementally add exposure and vulnerability data for each specific risk.

The presented research explores the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into the Sustainable Aided Design (SADE) framework and assesses their potential and challenges in addressing actual issues within sustainable design. SADE is a methodology focused on enhancing project integration within the context. The research questions whether generative AI can assist architects in designing more sustainable buildings by providing early-stage control over sustainability aspects. The methodology involves the use of two approaches such as text-to-image and chatbot to assess the quality of responses regarding specific instructions for high-rise and low-rise residential projects based on environmental and bioclimatic design parameters. The focus is on passive strategies that are crucial in the ultra-early stage of design processes. The research transforms textual instructions from chatbots into prompts for text-to-image processes, refining design concepts based on the correspondence between chatbot suggestions and generated images through 3D models. In conclusion, the research proposes a systemic framework to evaluate the support that AI tools can provide in terms of visual inspiration, textual instructions, and programmatic outputs for architectural design within the context of SADE. It calls for systematic scientific research to assess the opportunities and challenges these tools pose in enhancing environmental sustainability.