"According to UNEP, the building sector is estimated to be worth 10% of the global GDP and employs 111 million people. In addition, buildings use about 40% of global energy, 40% of global resources and emit approximately 33% of global GHG emissions. Finally, the fact that people today spend, on average, more than 80% of their time indoors, enhances its social importance. All above indicate the necessity to optimize building design.Architects usually name "optimal design" the choice among a very limited set of design alternatives, dictated by their experience and intuition. However, modern design of structures requires one to account for a great number of criteria deriving from multiple disciplines, often of conflicting nature. The vast number of alternative choices enhances the possibility of arriving at an optimum with the incorporation of smart, automatic tools in the design process, further guiding designer’s intuition.The principal aim of the proposed Network is to create and test methodologies for the application of optimization techniques in different design phases of civil structures by developing strong synergies among a multi-disciplinary team of academic experts from Greece, France, Cyprus, Canada, Turkey, Egypt & Jordan and SMEs from France & Greece.A first goal of the project is to exploit the use of shape and topology optimization techniques in computer aided architectural design. Moreover, the Network wants to exchange ideas, propose formulations that correspond to real-life applications and develop solutions for optimal multi-disciplinary architectural design. Of particular interest is the combination of criteria deriving from structural mechanics, eco-design, bioclimatic design and acoustic performance.For each topic, joint workshops, seminars and long-term visits will be organized at the coordinating and partner institutions. The results will be published in scientific journals, professional magazines and presented in international conferences."