The Castle of Snow

Full description

BACKGROUND Topology optimisation has been widely adopted in architectural design for generating structurally efficient and lightweight forms, particularly through methods such as Bi-directional Evolutionary Structural Optimisation (BESO). However, its application has largely been limited to conventional construction materials under controlled environmental conditions. In contrast, natural materials such as snow and ice remain underexplored in architectural design, despite their availability in cold climates and suitability for compressive structural systems. Their material behaviour—highly dependent on temperature, density, and environmental conditions—introduces new challenges and opportunities for integrating environmental factors into design and construction. This project addresses this gap by extending topology optimisation into cold-climate construction, establishing a design-to-construction framework that integrates generative design, environmental conditions, and natural material systems.

CONTRIBUTION The Castle of Snow is a design-led research project developed and constructed in early 2024, and exhibited at the 16th International Collegiate Snow Sculpture Contest, held at Harbin Engineering University as part of the Harbin Ice and Snow Carnival. Led by Dr Nic Bao, who directed and coordinated the RMIT team, the project was developed in collaboration with Dr Xin Yan and Prof. Yi Min ‘Mike’ Xie. The project establishes an integrated workflow combining topology optimisation, environmental material modelling, and full-scale construction in extreme cold-climate conditions. The design applies Bi-directional Evolutionary Structural Optimisation (BESO) to generate a spatial pavilion characterised by branching structural systems. The optimisation process is adapted to incorporate the material properties of snow—such as density variation and compressive performance under sub-zero temperatures—enabling structurally efficient and materially responsive form generation. A full-scale pavilion (approximately 3m × 3m × 3m) is realised through a hybrid construction approach combining computational form-finding and manual subtractive fabrication, where a solid snow volume is progressively sculpted according to optimisation logic. This establishes a direct link between digital design and material realisation.

SIGNIFICANCE The project was constructed and exhibited at the 16th International Collegiate Snow Sculpture Contest (2024), hosted at Harbin Engineering University. The competition brought together university teams from multiple countries, including Russia, Thailand, China, and Australia, providing an international platform for experimental snow architecture and construction. Led by Dr Nic Bao, the RMIT team represented Australia in this highly competitive global event. The project was further awarded the 2024 DigitalFUTURES Project Award, recognising significant contributions to architecture through digital technologies. The judging panel included internationally leading scholars and practitioners such as Mark Burry, Weiguo Xu, Areti Markopoulou, Mette Thomsen, Mike Xie, Philippe Block, Achim Menges, Mario Carpo, and Patrick Schumacher, demonstrating high-level peer recognition. The associated research was also presented at the IASS 2024 Symposium (Zurich), a leading international conference in structural design and spatial structures, further strengthening the academic impact of the project. The Castle of Snow advances research in performance-driven design, climate-responsive architecture, and material-informed computation by extending topology optimisation into natural and ephemeral materials. It establishes a new paradigm for integrating environmental conditions into architectural design and construction, contributing to sustainable and adaptive building systems.