Nic Bao

Dr Dingwen “Nic” Bao is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture, PhD supervisor, and Architecture Technology Course Coordinator at the School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT University, where he directs the FormX Research Lab and leads the Innovative Structures and Materials cluster. His research focuses on performance-driven architectural design, integrating computational design, structural optimisation, behavioural algorithms, additive manufacturing, robotic fabrication, and intelligent construction. His work explores how these domains can be synthesised into advanced design methodologies for high-performance and sustainable built environments.

Nic has published over 80 research outputs, including high-impact journal papers, books, book chapters, conference proceedings and creative work. He serves on the editorial boards of several international journals, including Architectural Intelligence (ARI), Sustainable Structures (SUST), Sustainable Engineering Materials (SUEM), Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism (ICAU), World Architecture Review, and Urban Environment Design (UED).

Prior to joining RMIT, Nic taught at University of Melbourne and Monash University, while working as a full-time practicing architect in leading Australian firms including Bates Smart, Fender Katsalidis, COX Architecture with Billard Leece, and Architectus. Nic is a registered architect in Australia (ARBV, RAIA), the United States (NCARB), and the United Kingdom (RIBA Chartered Architect). He is the Director of B.W Architects (BWA) and Studio Nic Bao, and a partner at Ameba Institute of Engineering Structure Optimisation.

He also holds key leadership roles in international academic and professional organisations, including Secretary & former Chair of Awards Committee of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) , Secretary & Co-Chair of CDRF 2026 at the DigitalFUTURES Association, and Deputy Chair (Victoria) and National Lead for Digital Design and Building Technology at Prefab Council of Australia. He is also a member of Australian Institute of Architects, The Architects Society of China, and International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS).

Nic has contributed extensively to international conferences as a scientific reviewer, session chair, and workshop leader, including CDRF, Rob|Arch, SimAUD, SIGraDi, CAAD Futures, CAADRIA, ASCAAD, eCAADe, and DigitalFUTURES. He has delivered over 15 international workshops and masterclasses, including AA Visiting School, DigitalFUTURES, CAADRIA, SIGraDi, ACADIA workshops, IASS and CDRF master classes.

His work has been widely exhibited internationally, including at Hong Kong BoDW, Shanghai DigitalFUTURES, Melbourne Design Week, Venice Biennale, Shenzhen/Hong Kong Urbanism\Architecture Bi-City Biennale (UABB), and Melbourne/Barcelona IASS Expo. He has been invited as a guest lecturer, critic, and PhD examiner at leading institutions worldwide, including Tongji, Tsinghua, Southeast University, Shenzhen University, South China University of Technology, BUCEA, BIFT, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Southern University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Università di Pisa, ETH Zurich, The Bartlett, UCL, The University of Michigan, Massey University, The University of Melbourne, Monash University, The University of Newcastle, UNSW, University of Technology Sydney, The University of Queensland, The University of Tokyo, and Osaka University.

Nic received his PhD in Architecture & Civil Engineering (2022) and Bachelor of Architecture (2012) from RMIT University, where he was awarded the RMIT Research Excellence and Impact Award (HDR). He also holds a Master of Architecture (with a minor in Urban Design) from University of Melbourne (2014). His work has received numerous international awards, including the Young CAADRIA Award, A’Design Award, Grand Prix du Design Paris Gold Award, IAI Design Award, and the DigitalFUTURES Young Award. He has also received third prize in the IASS Design Competition in 2023, along with two first prizes in national and international competitions in structural optimisation and 3D printing design in 2019 & 2020. Additional recognitions include multiple DigitalFUTURES Project Awards, the Best Paper Award at CDRF (2024), the Engineering Structures Best Paper Award (2023), and the RMIT Award for Research Excellence (ECR) (2023).

He has also curated major international exhibitions, including Integration of Design and Fabrication at IASS Expo (Melbourne, 2023), and co-curated the ACADIA–CAADRIA Joint Exhibition Habits of the Anthropocene (Hong Kong, 2023).