Form Structure Inte(g)ration

In this paper a discussion on form ??? structure interaction is presented from a structural engineering perspective. In particular, starting from a critical review of the state of the art and of the practice, the author focuses to the illustration of some paradigmatic case stu-dies, namely the Headquarters of China Central Television CCTV, the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, and the Water Cube Olympic pool, all realized in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games; on the basis of the analysis of these architectures, some general considerations are finally drawn on the role of the structure and of structural design, identifying trends and approaches, potential future developments, opportunities and needs for innovation, i.e. the aspects worth of research efforts.