Smart nodes pavilion: Bi-directional evolutionary structural optimization and additive manufacturing

SmartNodes is a research project which addresses innovation in construction through the application of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques and topology optimisation algorithms used to design efficient and elegant nodal connections of large scale spatial structures. The prototypes discussed in this paper demonstrate a design process and the ambitions of the research group through a scale model of a single layer lattice, and an example full-scale metal node. The focus of this paper is the use of the BESO (Bi-Evolutionary Structural Optimisation) technique to optimise connections in building structures and to ultimately replace welded, forged and cast connections by 3D printed connections.