IASS 2007 Symposium

IASS Symposium 2007 - VENEZIA Shell and Spatial Structures: Structural Architecture - Towards the future looking to the past Venice, Italy, 3-6 December 2007

Organized by the Department of Architectural Construction DCA - IUAV (Italy)

Free-form design of shells and spatial structures, strongly influenced by modern IT resources, requires: technological innovation (know-how), to be driven by a confident conceptual design (know what) in a scientific engineering scenario (know why) addressed to re-set the design process reliability assessment due to innovation and complexity of new architectural morphologies.
In fact new architectural design trends, giving prevalence to aesthetic over the static rationality, will lead to a future of generalized free-form-buildings (FFB) in contrast with the scientific philosophy inherited from Torroja, Maillart, Nervi and others, who designed quite sure that the observing static laws are per se a guarantee for achieving aesthetic results.
In the frame of the actual inter-, trans- and multi-disciplinary design process between architecture and structural engineering, 2007 Venetian Symposium invites professionals, researchers and academics to update the "State of the Art" concerning the classic scientific and technical themes of the IASS.

Design and morphology: Conceptual design, form finding, free form design, geometrical tools.
Analysis: Analytical models and computational methods applied to dynamics, stability, optimization, morphogenesis, control; AI applications.
Materials: Environmental compatibility, experiences with new structural materials, smart materials, material modelling.
Structural systems: Shells, spatial trusses and lattices, membranes, cable structures, tensegrity systems.
Realization: Towers, complex buildings, roof systems, bridges, footbridges, lightweight structures, retractable and deployable structures, construction processes, prefabrication, detailing, testing, monitoring and control.
Other topics: Historical buildings, damage and collapse, structural pathology.