Book excerpt: Containing the edited papers presented at the Sixth International Conference on High Performance Structures and Materials, High Performance Structures and Materials VI addresses the issues involved with advanced types of structures, particularly those based on new concepts or new materials. Contributions will highlight the latest developments in design, optimisation, manufacturing and experimentation in these areas.The use of novel materials and new structural concepts nowadays is not restricted to highly technical areas like aerospace, aeronautical applications or the automotive industry, but affects all engineering fields including those such as civil engineering and architecture. Most high performance structures require the development of a generation of new materials, which can more easily resist a range of external stimuli or react in a non-conventional manner.The book will cover such topics as: Composite materials and structures, Lightweight structures, Nanocomposites, High performance concretes, Concrete fibres, Automotive composites, Steel structures, Natural fibre composites, Timber structures, Material characterisation, Experiments and numerical analysis, Damage and fracture mechanics, Computational intelligence, Adaptable and mobile structures, Environmentally friendly structures.