Structures that move in the course of normal use, or which have to be assembled or erected rapidly on a relatively unprepared site, offer a particular challenge to the designer. The interaction between the structure and the mechanism by which it moves is essential in these cases. The speed of assembly, and what this means in terms of logistics, materials and cost, is a major factor in many such structures. Mobile and rapidly assembled structures play a major role in disaster mitigation and temporary accommodation. They are of primary importance in many military as well as civilian applications and are widely used for rescue and maintenance services. Their importance continues to grow in contemporary society where speed of response is of primary importance. There are problems such as the efficient design of assembly joints, the resistance to damage of the membrane and metal cladding, crashworthiness and the limits of serviceability. Some areas of the subject are already well documented, but knowledge is fragmented and there is little design guidance available in the form of textbooks, data sheets or codes of practice. The interaction between morphology, kinematic behaviour and structural performance – typical of these structures – poses real challenges in terms of design and successful realisation. This Special Issue contains selected papers presented at the International Conference on Mobile, Adaptive and Rapidly Assembled Structures which took place at La Certosa di Pontignano near Siena, Italy. The meeting was sponsored by the Free University of Brussels and The Wessex Institute, UK to highlight major developments that have recently taken place in this exciting field.

Since their earliest conceptualization, structures with reconfigurable characteristics contributed to the emergence of an architecture, able to respond and adjust itself to shifting environmental conditions, or time dependent users’ needs. In this respect, the development of tensegrity and scissor-like structures to obtain adaptive capabilities, is primarily based on articulated joints and embedded mechanical actuators, following a hard mechanical approach. Although these systems are usually designed to use a small number of components to achieve maximum shape adjustments, their implementation often causes an increase of unsustainable processes with regard to the number and characteristics of the actuators used and mechanisms complexity, as well as energy-inefficient processes, in terms of both construction and kinetic operation. An alternative soft approach for adaptive structures is proposed in the current paper through an implementation of hybrid cable bending-active members, while the latter replaces multiple local hinges through reversible elastic bending deformations. Through the cables own length modification, these are responsible for the structure deformability and sufficient prestressing of the primary elastic members. Such pliable structures increase the level of design complexity due to the inherent elastic properties of the materials used and their nonlinear structural behaviour during transformation. In demonstrating this, a series of single, coupled and coupled-interconnected cable bending-active system configurations are investigated. Results obtained describe the stress distribution between the structural components during the systems’ form-finding process and load-bearing behaviour.

Reciprocally supported element (RSE) lattice honeycomb dome structures have the ability to support considerable loading via their composition of interconnected closed circuits of elements. Distinctively, these dome structures use only three elements in each circuit. To understand the structural behaviour of these RSE lattice domes, a structural modelling investigation was carried out. Global linear elas- tic analysis was considered where the behaviour of the structure under the application of loading on selected elements was monitored. The aim of the modelling was to investigate the influencing factors to monitor for model calibration as well as to compare predicted structural behaviour output with future monitored behaviour in laboratory experiments involving the manufacture and construction of an RSE lattice honeycomb dome structure. The creation of the selected RSE honeycomb lattice structures together with the structural modelling findings are presented and discussed. Predicted displacements and stresses were compared under varying boundary support conditions. The von Mises ductile material failure criterion showing the onset of local yielding is considered.

In this paper, a novel two-dimensional scissor structure that transforms between concave and convex configurations is presented. The structure is designed by a method of assembling kite or anti-kite loops in the flat configuration. Angulated units are generated from the assembled loops. Finally, a new angulated scissor unit is introduced in order to design the novel scissor structure.

New technologies and fabrication tools urge us to explore new materials and their potential for integration in architectural construction. One such material, Concrete Canvas, is explored in this paper for its hybrid characteristics that blend fabric and thin-shell tectonics. The potential of Concrete Canvas lies in its ability to modify itself from a flexible fabric that when activated with water becomes a rigid concrete structure. Combined with a digitally controlled workflow of on-site cutting and an iterative material feedback loop, the process can serve as a radical alternative to current concrete formwork fabrication techniques. This paper outlines a prototypical design process that combines a phase-changing material, physical computer simulations, robotic fabrication and scanning technologies on a feedback loop between the digital and the physical that allow for customized, free-form, on-site concrete structures to pop-up without the need of a complex formwork. In this process the architect sets the various parameters based on fabrication techniques and material properties and adjusts them iteratively in the physical and digital model during the ‘popping-up’ process until a balance between material properties, technical requirements and aesthetics is reached, exploring new potentials on digital fabrication processes. The paper outlines the proposed workflow including iterative experiments with robotic cutting of flat patterns, their ‘popping-up’ into 3D concrete shells, and material phase transitions during its forming process. The established feedback loop consisting of geometry scanning, parametric perforation pattern control, computational analysis and simulation, and robotic fabrication is described in detail. The paper concludes by exploring the potential of this process to enable a dialogue between digital architecture and the process of materialization and discusses the implications of this approach in relation to architectural design and fabrication workflows

Deployable structures can expand and/or contract due to their geometrical, material and mechanical properties. This research proposes a classification of geometry for deployable structures. This classification system applied to structures made with scissor 2 bar can lead to architectural innovation. This is demonstrated in the case study of a new design for surfaces based on scissors 2 bar. Through this case study a form generation method of relative ratios is formulated that can be applied to infinite geometrical arrangements. This geometry classification is an attempt to seek further understanding of the subject of deployable structures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of this field, different ways of ordering information are being considered.

Reconfigurable structural systems aim at spatial adaptability in respect to changing functional, aesthetic or other architecture-oriented objectives. At the same time, adaptive systems are called to reserve the structure’s load-bearing capacity according to external loading criteria and scenarios. While pantograph structures have proven promising in these critical aspects, bending-active elements discard multiple local hinges and number of members by replacing them with single members of enhanced elastic bending deformability. This soft approach renders the possibility to form complex-, single- or double-curved primary structures from straight or planar members, providing in this respect an alternative frame- work to realize constructions of increased transformability and diversity in forms. The development of hybrid systems composed of bending-active members using secondary cables as means of stability and control, enables adjustability of the systems’ form-found shape and deformation control. In the current paper, a hybrid cable bending active structure is investigated at the level of prototype unit and overall structure. On the horizontal plane, the unit consists of a pair of vertically oriented PTFE lamellas, interconnected at mid-length and deformed in inverse direction to form a curvilinear symmetric shape. Cable and strut elements stabilize the primary elastic members by connecting them at both ends in longitudinal and transverse direction, respectively. The overall structure acquires three arc-like configurations, controlled by the secondary system of cables and struts positioned at the periphery of the primary system’s span. All systems are examined in their form-finding and load-bearing behaviour.

Reconfigurable systems of hinge-connected beams strengthened through struts and continuous cables, utilize their morphology and cable active members through a synergetic process to enhance structural flexibility, stability and energy efficient transformability. The ‘effective 4-bar’ concept may be applied for the transformation of planar n-bar systems, using a sequence of 1–DOF motion steps through selec-tively locking (n-4) joints of the primary members and actuating the cables, in order to adjust the system’s joints to the desired values during the motion steps involved. The control system includes only two motion actuators located at the structural supports, as well as brakes installed on each individual joint. It performs the reconfiguration sequences through tensioning of one single cable at a time. A numerical investigation presented in the current paper involves four arch systems of 8, 9, 10 and 11-bar linkages with 60/90, 75/75 and 90/60 cm strut lengths on each side of the systems’ circumference. In their initial position, all arch systems have 5.0 m span and 5.35 m height following a quasi-vertical ellipsoid shape. The target configuration of the systems with 4.20 m height corresponds to a quasi-horizontal ellipsoid shape. Different reconfiguration sequences are investigated, in order to achieve the target configuration for each system. The comparative numerical analysis refers to the maximum stresses developed in the members and the required brake torques for each transformation. The analysis provides an insight into the hybrid structural morphology and mechanical characteristics of the mem-bers for optimal implementation of the reconfiguration approach.

This paper presents a method of building deployable network assemblies derived from the single degree of freedom (DoF) over constrained Altmann linkage as a basic module. The method is based on assembling linkages with common links and joints or overlapping with extra R or 2R joints. New loops are emerged with overlapping method. The networks created have a single DoF, are over-constrained and have both fully deployed and folded configurations. The computer-aided models (CAD) are used to demonstrate these derived novel mechanisms.

The methodology for the analysis of deployable structures with 2 degrees of freedom (DoF) and optimisation of the deployment sequence is proposed. A parametrically controlled geometry, based on the design of biomimetic deployable structures, is systematically cycled through all available combinations of deployment and analysed for the full range of available motion established by the two DoFs. In other words, structural analysis is carried out for all potential configurations for the 2 DoFs, which act independently from one another. The results are, then, automatically post-processed to give contour plots showing the change in performance criteria such as the force or moment that develops in the struc- ture during deployment. Knowing that the structure needs to deploy from the fully folded to the fully unfolded state, the generation of convex hull profiles allows the selection of the optimum path to reach the fully deployed state based on whatever the governing criteria is deemed to be, such as maximum deployment force, deflection, weight of structure, or in service stresses.

Cable arch stayed bridges are one type of tensile structures, and there are increasingly such structures constructed. Their performance relies on how they are designed. This type of structures can suffer big deflections under load, in this situation the displacements may need to be reduced. Sometimes, it may be necessary to control internal force of a specific cable so the cable force remains within the desired limit. More study need to be done to develop the techniques that are available for such adjustments. This paper deals with theoretical and experimental adjusting of two physical models, and the linear and nonlinear geometrical behavior of cable (arch) stayed bridges. It was concluded that the techniques of adjustment were practical and efficient to reduce, eliminate shape distortion, and control internal bar force of both structures. For structures that behave linearly, it is easier to get the target (displacement or force), but for non-linear structures one iteration of adjustments was not enough to get the displacement target. Through the techniques of the internal bar force adjustment, the amount of force can be reduced even to the zero, e.g. in case of replacing damaged members.

The current return to a logic of movement implied in human behavior and contemporary society, less static than previous generations, involves that modern architecture, in its innumerable fields of application. An effect of this is a change in the design logic of the modern construction to satisfy the requirement of the end-users of architecture more flexible and adaptable, as temporary.

The project Mob:om is a part of that, a prefabricated multifunctional module responsive to multiple needs, both functionally and dimensionally. The design concept is based on the realization of a product that, starting from the idea of a furniture, as an object container, arrives to the one of the building container of function, with the same design logic. The Mob:oM, in fact, is designed as a wooden structure that is able to hold itself and its structural, finishing and furnishing elements. It is a flexible and modular building structure whose basic module can be aggregated to other ones, allowing the growth in size, according to the spatial and functional requirements of the users: temporary events, fairs, tourist and emergency residences, exhibition stands. It is also suitable for a controlled disassembly through removable modular components: in fact, on the basis of the concept of flexibility, dry assembly techniques and stratification of constructive components have been used to allow building organism to change itself from the technological, compositive, distributive, functional and performance point of view, according to the needs of the users and the place.

The result is a multifunctional, easy to carry, reversible and modular product, characterized by an innovative design and advanced technological solutions.

The Sim[PLY] framing system leverages CNC prefabrication and unique connection design in service of rapid and safe on-site assembly without power tools or heavy equipment. Sim[PLY] components are cut from standard sheets of structural plywood and interlock using tab and slot connections in lieu of nails. Steel cable ties are used to secure the connections. In addition to fast and accurate assembly, CNC processing also allows for various forms of intelligent customization, including mechanical and electrical systems integration, component labeling, and diminished thermal bridging.

Preliminary structural testing examined the performance of individual connections as well as the performance of full-scale assemblies, including rafters and shear walls. Test results confirmed the ade- quacy of the Sim[PLY] system for natural hazard loading scenarios, including seismic and hurricane events.

This paper describes the development and details of the Sim[PLY] system as well as preliminary testing and case studies from various applications. The reader will, in turn, recognize an accessible and economical framing system that simultaneously offers high quality control, minimal waste, structural resiliency, and rapid and intuitive assembly and disassembly.

For over 20 years, we have followed a line of research that seeks to propose models for architecture which minimize the environmental impact caused by both its construction as its use. We understand that, in order to reduce the environmental impact produced by current constructions, it is necessary to change the way they are designed and built.

The followed process has been firstly focused on the search for geometries constructed with adequate materiality which would provide effective architectural solutions with a minimum consumption of material (lightweight solutions). Secondly, we have experienced quick assembly and disassembly procedures (deployable mesh, modular systems, etc.) that reduced the assembly time of the proposed systems and, therefore, will minimize the impact (quick assembly/reversibility). Finally, it has been possible to relate the proposed models (lightweight, quick assembly and reversible) with tools for life- cycle assessment which allow accurately assess the environmental impact of them.

The use and development of LCA tools has allowed us to optimize the proposed models. In addition, in the described process, original parametric control tools (geometry and processes) have been used. They allow to particularize the proposed models to each case based on their possibilities of manufacture.

The way followed by several made works, which are applications of the proposed models, will be described then.

Reciprocal structures or nexorade are composed by the assembling of groups of three or more beams mutually connected by mono-lateral T joints in a way that any relative movement is suppressed. This kind of structures can be easily built in relatively unprepared sites, dismantled, transported and re-used even by not specialized handcraft. For these reasons, reciprocal structures have been widely used in the past for military purposes, and nowadays they seem to satisfy very well the different requirements of a quick and temporary shelter of a large archaeological area when they are shaped as grid shells.

This paper proposes the design of a reversible, reciprocal framed grid shell to shelter the archaeological site of the Roman Shipwrecks in Pisa. The structure must protect excavations and archaeologists from the weather and provide an easy access to visitors. Additionally, it must allow for easy disassembling and moving to another site.

The design choices aim at optimizing both structural efficiency and esthetical qualities. A parametric workflow for both the form finding and the digital fabrication processes has been developed, and a prototype of accommodative steel T-joint for timber reciprocal beams has been realized. Finally, a model using CNC-cutting tested the structural feasibility of such a design approach.

Rapid construction, modularity, deconstruction, and reconfiguration facilitate economy and sustainability allowing for changes in a building’s use over time. Typical one-way composite steel/concrete floor systems lend themselves to terminal construction practices that make assumptions about the occupancy and usage needs that must last through the life of the structure. To address this, a lightweight rapidly constructible and reconfigurable modular steel floor (RCRMSF) system that utilizes two-way bending behavior and cold-formed steel building materials has been developed. RCRMSF improves upon the efficiency benefits of traditional composite steel/concrete flooring systems, reducing beam and girder usage and size, and allowing for highly flexible building configurations and mobility. The system con- sists of a series of prefabricated panels composed of a grid of cold-formed steel channels running in orthogonal directions sandwiched together by steel plates. A simple performance assessment has been formulated and a finite element model parametric study has been carried out in the Abaqus finite ele- ment analysis (FEA) software. The results of the developed performance assessment and FEA study show that RCRMSF systems are suitable for rapidly constructible buildings in terms of strength and serviceability, providing an initial step to fully modular and reconfigurable steel buildings.

StemXel is a response to the need of continuous change of functions in interior design and architecture. It can be converted into mutable forms with the use of a permanent material without any waste and provide physical change with seamless work. The structure is flexible to turn a simple single space into an adaptable environment that can be used for multiple programs at multiple instances. The structure is designed to be implemented as a furniture, for housing, commercial activities and for spaces that are undergoing a constant change. StemXel responds to different inputs, digital or analogic, in order to create a fast and fluid physical change. Its flexibility allows the possibility to absorb digital informa- tion, meanwhile reflecting it in a tangible form. It is a structure that goes beyond two-dimension, yet involves the totality of a defined volume. Intelligent interaction between users and space is one of the major characteristics to be exploited in future design development.

In the Canadian high Arctic, subsistence hunters and fishers have learned, over generations, to construct shelters from available materials so they can survive inclement weather while harvesting food. Now, as accelerating climate change exacerbates the intensity and unpredictability of extreme weather, scientists and country food harvesters once again worry about becoming stranded. To envision how tradition-based dwellings might serve as modern short-term survival/emergency structures, we reconstructed four vernacular structures in largely- Indigenous Arctic communities and compared them with a Sami reconstruction from Arctic Scandinavia. Local knowledge-holders and students participated and proposed adaptations using modern materials and concepts. The five structures were qualitatively evaluated for replicability, adaptability to modern situations, on-going usefulness, thermal performance, and materials availability. Quantitative evaluations included speed of construction relative to length of use and approximate mass of structure per person. The structures that were most adaptable, replicable, and efficient were elliptic paraboloid-shaped dwellings: Inuvialuit willow-framed moss-and-skin-clad dwellings (Western Canadian Arctic), Inuinnaqtun snow houses (iglus and qarmaqs) (central Canadian high Arctic), and birch-framed turf-clad homes (Scandinavian Arctic). All shared the following characteristics: (1) catenary- or elliptic paraboloid-domed frame- work, (2) materials accessed from immediate vicinity of building site, (3) ease of construction by 1 or few people, (4) passive heating and insulated assemblies, (5) windbreaks incorporated into siting and design, (6) strong structure resistant to high winds and inclement weather, and (7) siting along routes where foods are harvested. These characteristics are now serving as design principles for tem- porary Arctic dwellings, demonstrating how recording, adapting, and sharing long-resident peoples’ architectural knowledge facilitates survival during extreme events associated with accelerated climate change.

The paper discusses research that concerns itself with the design explorations of high performance structural and climatic systems. It also examines their efficient and low-cost application techniques in refugee facilities. Initially, the paper presents a survey of the current conditions of refugee schools in Lebanon. The survey highlights the need for alternative design strategies in the provision of environmentally friendly educational facilities with low-cost yet adequate learning conditions. Considering the current conditions, the premise is set that required design strategies call for an integrated strategic approach. This is to promote sustainable development models as post-disaster responses. The “Nasma” project is then taken as a case study that exemplifies a sustainable pilot project as a post-disaster response. It is an educational unit developed and implemented in Lebanon by the author in collaboration with a team from Transsolar climate engineers led by Christian Frenzel. It therefore represents a paradigm of integrated architectural and environmental design strategies taking into considering the complex socio-political context of refugee settlements in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. The project aims to provide visual, air, thermal and acoustic comfort. It also integrates innovative structural systems and construction methods that allow the school to be rapidly deployed and relocated. Strategies that aim towards social impact include using local materials and engaging the community in the building process. Finally the paper concludes by assessing the actual performance of the structure as a replicable post-disaster response.

Kinetic behavior is a progressive methodology in architecture and design that allows some parts to move by mechanics or sensors, without reducing the overall structural integrity. It’s the dynamic approach that integrates the different aspects arranging the outlined design. This paper aims to study the impact of intelligent systems in the interior design to produce new structures for interior elements within the terms of varied patterns and shape. It reveals the emergence of kinetic systems as an adequate procedure and substantial function to rethink and reshape interior spaces through metamorphic design, mobility, and mechanisms. These systems are applied due to their transition to portray and shift either, through specific forms or materials to plan new interactive inhabited spaces. This paper dissects the changes affecting the function of interior spaces through the analysis and interpretation of some architectural projects adapting dynamic mobile systems on setting the state and the structure of the building. Additionally, the main criteria pertaining the design to achieve further responsive potential, that is more engaged to the recipient and the environmental surroundings. Finally, the paper discusses the results of implementing canny dynamic systems and kinetic mechanisms to the elements of interior design tend- ing how they can rapidly modify their function and regulate the performance and the efficiency and how to apply this methodology to reshape interior spaces.

To intrinsically motivate students by challenging concrete tasks is an effective way of learning – and in particular, if the task is intended to deliver a tangible outcome. Bearing this in mind, a challenging Problem Based Learning assignment for Master students of TU/e was found in developing a sustainable pavilion for festivals in cooperation with a third party (Double2). Many (music) festivals nowadays go on the message of sustainability in addition to their core business of ‘music and food’. This can offer a very challenging assignment; to develop an iconic object that stands out in a large-scale event and by making sustainability tangible to a large audience. The aspect of designing a temporal and original creation is already challenging, yet it becomes integral (‘Research by Design’) by involving practical requirements that have to be met too regarding safety aspects, fast and practical assembling, et cetera. And by actually building a full-scale creation makes this project exceptionally, being the proof of the pudding of the creation as well as the icing on the cake for all involved (and a special item for a students’ portfolio). Making prototypes and considering details on different scale levels (‘learning by doing’) is very instructive for students who study buildings. And helping to assemble the pavilions on a festival and support the set-up on location (‘learning by precedent’) is highly enlightening, too.

This paper describes the ‘Summerlabb’ project of developing a number of structures as itinerant exhibition at festivals and events that were developed in analogy with earlier design projects where student teams were involved.

The paper investigates the possibility to create kinetic rosette patterns and their tessellations by means of modular linkages which rely on the same type and number of symmetry operations as the reference models. The mechanisms show a hierarchy of movements. It is found that symmetry is an effective unifying concept in the design of both the fixed models and the mechanisms. Furthermore, the resulting rosette linkages and their tessellations have peculiar kinematic characteristics if compared to other modular mechanisms which may be alternatively used to reproduce the same kind of models.