The study investigates an area of sustainable structural design that is often overlooked in practical engineering applications. Specifically, a novel method to optimise the cost and embodied carbon performance of steel building structures simultaneously is explored in this paper. To achieve this, a parametric design model was developed to rapidly analyse code compliant structural configurations based on project specific constraints and rigorous testing of multiple steel beams (UB sections), floor construction typologies (precast or composite) and column layouts that could not be performed manually by engineering practitioners. Detailed objective functions are embedded in the model to compute the cost and life cycle carbon emissions of different material types used in the structure. Results from a comparative numerical analysis of a real case study illustrate that the proposed optimisation approach could guide structural engineers towards areas of the solution space with realistic design configurations, enabling them to effectively evaluate cost and carbon trade-offs. This significant contribution implies that the optimisation model could reduce the time required for the design and analysis of multiple structural configurations especially during the early stages of a project. Overall, the paper suggests that the deployment of automated design procedures can enhance the quality as well as the efficiency of the optimisation analysis.The research described in this paper was financially supported by Innovate UK through the ‘Innovative engineering approach for material, carbon and cost efficiency of steel buildings’ project with reference number 10247
