ABSTRACT | SmartNodes is a research project which addresses innovation in construction through the application of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques and topology optimisation algorithms used to design efficient and elegant nodal connections of large-scale spatial structures. The prototypes discussed in this paper demonstrate a design process and the ambitions of the research group through a scale model of a single layer lattice, and an example full-scale metal node. The focus of this paper is the use of the BESO (Bi-Evolutionary Structural Optimisation) technique to optimise connections in building structures and to ultimately replace welded, forged and cast connections by 3D printed connections.