Pierluigi D’Acunto

Short CV

Pierluigi D'Acunto graduated with honors in Building Engineering-Architecture from the University of Pisa in 2007 and received a Master of Architecture with distinction from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London in 2012. In 2018, he completed his PhD with distinction at ETH Zurich. Since 2006, he has gained professional experience in various architecture and engineering offices in Italy and Switzerland, and he has been awarded in several international architectural competitions. From 2012 to 2018, he was a research assistant at the Chair of Structural Design at ETH Zurich and, from 2018 to 2021, a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer. In 2021, Pierluigi D'Acunto was appointed to the Rudolf Mößbauer Tenure-Track Assistant Professorship of Structural Design at the Department of Architecture of the Technical University of Munich.

Selected Awards

• 2019, Distinction for outstanding doctoral thesis (ETH Medal), ETH Zürich
• 2016, Award for excellence, Design Competition for Young Generation, IASS Tokyo
• 2012, Distinction for outstanding thesis, Architectural Association London 
• 2011, Ambassadorial Scholarship, The Rotary Foundation
• 2007, Distinction for outstanding master's thesis, University of Pisa

Research Interests

The research group of Pierluigi D'Acunto explores the convergence of architecture and structural engineering through computer-aided design and emerging construction technologies. The research focuses on geometry-based methods for structural design, computational design through equilibrium-based modeling, structural form-finding with machine learning, and fabrication-aware structural design using advanced digital manufacturing.

Selected Publications

• Bertagna F, D’Acunto P, Ohlbrock PO, Moosavi V: Holistic design explorations of building envelopes supported by machine learning. Journal of Facade Design and Engineering; 2021; 9(1):31-46. https://doi.org/10.7480/jfde.2021.1.5423
   
• Wan Z, Ohlbrock PO, D'Acunto P, Cao Z, Fan F, Schwartz J: A form-finding approach for the conceptual design of air-supported structures using 3D graphic statics. Computers and Structures. 2021; 243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruc.2020.106401
   
• Cao T, D'Acunto P, Castellón JJ, Tellini A, Schwartz J, Zhang H: Design of prestressed gridshells as smooth poly-hypar surface structures. Structures. 2021; 30:973-984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.01.047
   
• Konstantatou M, D'Acunto P, McRobie A, Schwartz J: Unified geometrical framework for the plastic design of reinforced concrete structures. Structural Concrete. 2020; 21(6):2320-2338. https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.201900440
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• Boulic L, D’Acunto P, Bertagna F, Castellón JJ. Form-driven design of a bending-active tensile façade system. International Journal of Space Structures. 2020; 35(4):174-190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956059920931021

• Saldana Ochoa K, Ohlbrock PO, D'Acunto P, Moosavi V: Beyond typologies, beyond optimization: Exploring novel structural forms at the interface of human and machine intelligence. International Journal of Architectural Computing. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478077120943062

• Ohlbrock PO, D'Acunto P: A Computer-aided approach to equilibrium design based on graphic statics and combinatorial variations. Computer-Aided Design. 2020; 121:102802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cad.2019.102802
   
• D'Acunto P, Jasienski J-P, Ohlbrock PO, Fivet C, Schwartz J, Zastavni D: Vector-based 3D graphic statics: A framework for the design of spatial structures based on the relation between form and forces. International Journal of Solids and Structures. 2019; 167:58- 70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2019.02.008
   
• Konstantatou M, D'Acunto P, McRobie A: Polarities in structural analysis and design: n-dimensional graphic statics and structural transformations. International Journal of Solids and Structures. 2018; 152–153:272-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2018.07.003
   
• D’Acunto P, Jasienski J, Ohlbrock PO, Fivet C: Vector-based 3D graphic statics: transformations of force diagrams. Proceedings of the IASS Symposium 2017 Hamburg - Interfaces: architecture engineering science. 2017.

A complete list of publications is available here. (Google Scholar)