Optimisation driven design in architectural, engineering and construction industry: an overview

Digital tools (DTs) and services relying on the digital technology are becoming more pervasive, with a widespread in many different stages of the design process of structures. In this study, design optimisation from the perspective of architectural and structural engineering design is explored. Although, until recent years, optimisation was recognized as a “tough” mathematical tool, it's evolution in usability and efficiency made it attractive for improving architectural design from the earliest stages of the design approach. Specialized digital tools able to support all structural engineering optimizing requirements, are rather difficult to be developed, but instead customized structural design optimisation services have recently appeared. This work presents different strategies for parametrising distinctive variables involved in the definition of each architectural synthesis, which are defined as the main goal in the Architectural Design Optimisation (ADO) and the Structural Design Optimisation (SDO). Subsequently a review of optimisation processes and optimisation tools in the field Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) is provided. Recent paradigms from the built environment in which parametric optimisation procedures have been applied in real world design practice are presented.