IASS 2025: Connecting Structural Innovation from Zurich to Mexico City

Following the successful organisation of the IASS 2024 symposium by the NCCR Digital Fabrication in Zurich, this year’s International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) conference was held in Mexico City. The IASS 2025 edition celebrated the region’s rich traditions in structural design and materiality, with a particular focus on the works of Félix Candela. Once again, numerous projects from NCCR DFAB and ETH Zurich were prominently showcased, underscoring the ongoing dialogue between digital fabrication, structural innovation, and architectural expression.

IASS participants standing on a Félix Candela shell in Mexico City.

IASS 2025 and the DFAB Community

Lotte Scheder-Bieschin from the Block Research Group presented the paper “Scalability of the Unfold Form Construction System”, demonstrating how computational design can redefine structural scalability and material efficiency. Mark Hellreich, a Research Assistant at MIT with NCCR DFAB alumna Mariana Popescu, presented “Graphic Statics-Informed 2D Topology Optimisation for Reinforced Concrete Beams”. Nikoletta Christidi presented “Designing Knitted Tensile Structures via Graphic Statics and Local Stiffness Variation”, co-authored by Popescu and Marina Konstantatou. Collectively, these presentations exemplify the wide-ranging impact of NCCR DFAB research and its alumni.

Global Innovation and local Identity

Conference keynotes reflected a balance between global innovation and local architectural identity. Collectivo C733 presented community-focused projects, while Pepe Cassinello revisited the legacy of Eduardo Torroja. Engineer Benjamin Romano discussed four major works, including Mexico City’s tallest exposed concrete structure and its seismic resistance. Guy Nordenson offered a poetic reflection on structural design, comparing the engineer’s creative agency to that of a film director – both orchestrating unseen forces that shape spatial narratives.

Honouring structural Excellence

This year’s awards celebrated figures whose work continues to shape the field. Professor Emeritus Juan Gerard Oliva Salinas (UNAM) was awarded IASS Honorary Membership, and Jan Knippers received the second Heinz Isler Prize for Design—a continuation of the legacy first recognised in Zurich in 2024. The traditional technical tours offered an immersive experience of local structural culture. Highlights included Félix Candela’s elegant concrete shells, the Bacardi Bottling Plant, and Torre Reforma, where attendees met architect L. Benjamin Romano, who shared insights into the design challenges of one of Mexico’s most innovative high-rise structures.

From Zurich to Mexico City, the IASS conferences continue to serve as a platform for exchange between architects, engineers, and researchers committed to advancing structural design. The presence of numerous NCCR DFAB-affiliated projects once again underscored the international reach and impact of ETH Zurich’s research community, connecting digital design, material innovation, and structural excellence across continents.