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Dante Bini’s “New Architectural Formulae”: Construction, Collapse and Demolition of Binishells in Australia 1974-2015

Pugnale, Alberto & Bologna, Alberto

July 2015 | Conference Paper

The Italian architect Dante Bini began his studies on shell structures during the 1960s. He developed and refined a form-finding and construction technique to erect a finished large-span reinforced concrete (RC) shell structure through the use of an inflatable membrane. This system was patented in 1964 under the name ‘Binishell’...

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Timber gridshells: Numerical simulation, design and construction of a full scale structure

D’Amico, Bernardino, Kermani, Abdy, Zhang, Hexin, Pugnale, Alberto & Colabella, Sofia

June 2015 | Article

Timber gridshell structures, such as the Multihalle for the federal garden festival in Mannheim or the Downland Museum, have been the result of a creative–generative process that indissolubly ‘welded’ the structural contribution to that of form exploration. The challenging design and construction issues have been typically addressed and resolved in...

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Computational Morphogenesis applied to the Church of Longuelo: Reflections upon a possible parametric interpretation of the original design concepts

Liuti, Alessandro & Pugnale, Alberto

December 2014 | Conference Paper

Before the introduction of NURBS-based CAD software and optimisation, the design of form-resistant structures was based on the use of either experimental tools (physical form-finding) or analytical surfaces, and architects were challenged in the articulation of spaces from the intrinsic characteristics/rules of structural forms. An outstanding example of this kind...

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(Digital) Form-finding

Pugnale, Alberto

September 2014 | Chapter

In book: "AAD Algorithms-Aided Design. Parametric strategies using grasshopper", (pp.352-359). Publisher: Le Penseur. Editor: Arturo Tedeschi. In architecture and structural engineering, ‘form-finding’ identifies the process of designing optimal structural shapes by using experimental tools and strategies, i.e. physical models, to simulate a specific mechanical behaviour. The reverse hanging method is...

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Three-Dimensionality in Reciprocal Structures: Concepts and Generative Rules

Parigi, Dario & Pugnale, Alberto

April 2014 | Article

Reciprocal systems based on superimposition joints, i.e. where un-notched bars sits on the top or in the bottom of each other, could be regarded as being intrinsically three-dimensional because of their natural out-of plane development. This paper presents seven of these three-dimensional configurations, conceived and built by the students of...

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Reciprocal Systems Based on Planar Elements: Morphology and Design Explorations

Baverel, Olivier & Pugnale, Alberto

April 2014 | Article

The concept of transferring forces in a reciprocal way has always been related to the use of timber beams, that is, elongated elements. However, planar components can also be considered; circular tiles, squares, triangles and more articulated or irregular geometrical shapes are all valid alternatives. This report proposes an initial...

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Dante Bini’s air structures (1964-1979): From early Italian prototypes to the Australian experience

Pugnale, Alberto & Bologna, Alberto

April 2014 | Conference Paper

The construction of concrete shells has always been a difficult and expensive procedure. Preparation of complex formworks, as well as placement of curved reinforcing rods require experience and increase the overall cost. Building concrete shells is even more of concern within the Australian context, where the use of simple and...

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Genetic algorithms for structural design

Coelho, Rajan Filomeno, Méndez Echenagucia, Tomás, Pugnale, Alberto & Richardson, James

April 2014 | Chapter

In book: "Shell Structures for Architecture - Form finding and optimization", (pp.290-294). Chapter: Appendix C. Publisher: Routledge. Editors: Sigrid Adriaenssens, Philippe Block, Diederik Veenendaal, Chris Williams. Genetic algorithms are a subclass of evolutionary algorithms. A genetic algorithm (GA) is defined by Goldberg as a “search algorithm based on the mechanics...

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