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This paper presents a new concept for retractable roof structures. The new structures consist of a foldable lattice of beams connected by cylindrical joints, to which covering panels or membranes are attached. These structures fold towards their perimeter and there is practically no limit to their shape. Solutions to the key problems that have to be solved in the course of the kinematic design of this new type of structure are presented, including two different ways of connecting them to fixed foundation points while maintaining their internal degree of mobility, and how to determine the shapes of the covering panels to avoid interference during retraction.

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In October 2013, the Philippines experienced a large (magnitude 7·2) earthquake and typhoon in a span of three weeks. As part of the rebuilding process, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH), working with New York architecture firm actLAB, consulted on designs to reconstruct two schools in the towns of Maribojoc and Loon. Designers and builders have given increasing attention to bamboo for engineered structures and are now using the material in a range of applications. Bamboo has good structural properties and can provide a sustainable construction material. Bamboo is a locally sourced material in the Philippines and was used for the structural columns and roof trusses in the school design while brick bearing walls provided the lateral force resisting system. SGH consulted on the overall structural design for the schools and focused on bamboo behaviour and details using its in-house materials laboratory. SGH also conducted a series of tests to investigate the strength of the bamboo connections in the roof truss. actLAB then used SGH's recommendations to work with a local structural engineer and bamboo craftsman to finalise construction of the schools. The project brought together craftsmen, designers and engineers with local construction methods to re-engineer new classrooms and maximise structural resiliency.

On 20 November 2000 the Gateshead Millennium Bridge was lifted into place, in one, over the UK's River Tyne. The spectacular nature of the bridge design—the world's first vertically rotating bridge—and the audacity of the erection scheme attracted large crowds and significant publicity. The bridge currently takes its place as part of the regeneration of the Gateshead Quayside. This paper describes the fabrication and erection of the bridge structure by Watson Steel.