The collaborative project Diamanti led by the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory has won this year’s ECC award in the Design Project Category, honored by the European Cultural Centre.

Diamanti structure is an industry-academic collaborative research that showcases a high-performing, sustainable modular spanning funicular system developed using a comprehensive design method considering new and existing fabrication and construction technologies. The structural form, including the load paths inside the structure, is determined from Polyhedral Graphic Statics involving pure compression and tensile forces through its funicular geometry.

Jury member Ivan Blasi explains: Diamanti is a groundbreaking exploration of long-span structural systems that combines elegance, efficiency, and sustainability. Using funicular geometries optimised through polyhedral graphic statics, the project reduces concrete usage by nearly 60% and steel reinforcement by 80% compared to conventional methods, while achieving exceptional load-bearing capacity. Through robotic 3D-printing, post-tensioning, and modular construction, Diamanti minimises waste, enables full disassembly, and ensures complete recyclability, demonstrating how advanced design can reshape the future of resilient, resource-conscious structures.