Computation and Construction in Architecture (CoCoA) Lab

School of Architecture, Design and Planning
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Future/Past Construction

Last Updated: 31 March 2022 clock icon 2 mins read
Dr. Paolo Stracchi

Past/Future Construction draws on the notion of continuity between past and future and adopts historical and contemporary building experiences to comprehend how  Construction Knowledge Capital is informed, theorised, contaminated and transferred. It aims to capture the intellectual value expressed in the act of building and detect the presence of behavioural characteristics driving or hindering construction innovation.

Any act of building is connected to all others, and its success depends ultimately upon improving the overall conditions of shared knowledge and human relationships on which the production of the built world depends.

Howard Davis, 2006.

The research stream frames construction as both an intellectual discipline and empirical experience animated by a highly complex community. Socio-technical centred, the research considers design and technical factors as well as social relationships between stakeholders, including researchers, designers, clients, builders and manufacturers. The underlying premise of socio-technical thinking informs a research agenda based on cross-referencing planning, design and construction activities to explore new research protocols and methodologies, and establish new points of departure for researchers, practitioners and industry to work together.

Research methods include archival research, current theories, and empirical studies, including monitoring construction sites, surveying design practices and models, and post-evaluating buildings construction to evaluate and enhance the past, present and future of construction.

Practically, we focus on exploring, mapping and discussing

  • Design agency on construction innovation (theory)
  • Non-standard design workflows and project management methods (profession)
  • Value-added design for building technologies (design)
  • Innovative techniques applications, supply chains and labour training (industry)
  • Building codes principles and procurements methods (politics)
  • Design and construction histories (history)
  • Conservation of construction-focused documentation (heritage)
  • Circular construction (sustainability)

Explore Future/Past Construction Projects

Building Knowledge

The project aims to uncover how architects’ design approaches were affected by a maturing construction industry; an industry that constitutes a vital part of the country’s economy, political life, heritage, and culture. Supported by the prestigious NSW State Library’s Dr AM Hertzberg AO Fellowship.

Circularity by Design

The construction sector is amongst the world’s largest consumers of resources and raw materials, and a major producer of waste accounting for more than 30% of the total solid waste globally. In the current scenario of climate emergency and rapid population growth, the transition to more sustainable models of development becomes imperative for the preservation […]

Beyond the Spherical Solution

By shedding light on the contribution of local ingenuity and craftsmanship in the making of one of the most celebrated buildings in the world, the research project details the complexity behind the fabrication of the iconic roof of the Sydney Opera House. Based on a rich group of items recently discovered by the investigators, including […]

Designed in Italy, Made in Australia

Designed in Italy, Made in Australia: Discovering the Australian work of Pier Luigi Nervi is a research project investigating for the first time the architectural–technical history of the professional collaboration between the renowned Australian architect Harry Seidler and world-famous Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi between 1963 and 1978, and its influence on the maturation of […]

Explore Future/Past Construction Initiatives

1. Sustaining Tangible History

As much as today’s complex issues from multiple aspects will impact the future of our built environment, legacies from the past were configured from complex, entangled over various range of influences. These multidimensional aspects have been imposed and emerged from an interconnected past, leading to the built environment we live in. CoCoA approaches our built […]

Explore related Publications

Innovation by design: Technological challenges and opportunities behind the Parramatta Powerhouse and Sydney Modern Project.

Danish spheres and Australian falsework: Casting the Sydney Opera House

The ghost of Pier Luigi Nervi in Martin Place. The Italian contribution to the design and construction of the MLC Centre and CTA building in Sydney.

Designed in Italy, Made in Australia / The Exhibition