Paper Title
Towards Advancement of Tools for Buildings` Structure Optimization

Abstract
During the buildings`design process, the buildings` structure is at first drafted, then evaluated, afterwich a new design is proposed in an iterative process which is innefective when conducted in a conventional manner. Considering that the early design decisions influence 70% of the designs` outcome, the buildings` primary load-bearing structure is of utmost importance in terms of its optimal performance and buildings` sustainability. Therefore, in order to facilitate the design process an optimization tool is needed that can efficiently deliver design solutions which could be effectively evaluated. In the research community as well as in the architectural practice, several methods for structural optimization have been developed, which are investigated and presented in this paper. Also, optimization tools are examined from a point of view of usability and their application on optimizing various building structural elements and structural systems. The analysis of the state of the art literature shows that the buildings` structural members` weight can be optimized by 10-15%, thus directly improving the buildings` sustainability and alleviating the impact onto the environment. The findings show the large potential of the optimization tools and identifies possibilities for their much broader application in the architectural design practice, especially during the design phase and points out directions for their future development. The authors would like to acknowledge the CA 15140 Inspired Optimisation by Joining Theory and Practice (ImAppNIO) COST Action for its excellent research and networking possibilities. Keywords - Optimization, Optimization tools, Parametric Design, Structural system, Sustainability.