IASS 2025

The International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) has focused on advancing design, engineering, materials and methods since its foundation in 1959. It attracts architects, engineers, and practitioners who play crucial roles in the integration of structural engineering and architecture. The Swiss engineer Heinz Isler was an IASS founding member, and Switzerland has a renowned history in this domain and in the association. The 2024 IASS Symposium was held 26 – 30 August 2024 at ETH Zurich, situated in the heart of Europe. Established in 1855, ETH Zurich is one of the world's leading universities in science and technology and is known for its cutting-edge research and innovation. ETH Zurich’s world-renowned Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering and Department of Architecture both have a long history of structural design excellence. As the Alma Mater for engineers such as Carl Culmann, Othmar Ammann, Robert Maillart, Heinz Isler, Christian Menn, Santiago Calatrava and Joseph Schwartz, ETH Zurich maintains both a historic and a contemporary leading position in structural design research. This position is currently exemplified by an estimable strategic commitment to collaborative research on digital fabrication and industrialised construction with impressive research facilities and its engagement with the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication.