Conceptual design plays a leading role in defining the end-performance of structures. Facing new global challenges and embracing new technological opportunities, structural designers are encouraged to develop more creativity in their projects. Each project, independently of its size, is an opportunity to create. Creativity in conceptual design is hard to foster and share. It is not the result of a sudden moment of inspiration, but the fruit of a serious, systematic and ambitious work in the search for the most adequate solution to a given question. Conceptual design is actually rarely taught in civil engineering schools. Traditionally, and commonly to other creative fields (e.g. architecture, literature, culinary arts, painting), successful processes are context-dependent, experience-based and principle-driven. However, new training modes, deeper understanding of history, and the advent of new tools and technologies sets forth new possibilities for creative endeavours. The International Symposium on Conceptual Design of Structures is a singular event specifically addressed to creative designers of all experience levels. The — the International Federation for Structural Concrete — is an association created in the 1950’s by eminent engineers, among which are Torroja, Freyssinet, and Levi, that aims at sharing ideas to promote the use of structural concrete. This association acknowledges and has had, throughout its history, the mission to promote, communicate and teach the value of creativity in engineering. The symposium is organized together with the Spanish Association of Structural Engineering (ACHE). The Torroja Institute in Madrid, Spain, a unique blend of architecture and structure showcasing Eduardo Torroja’s creativity and teaching, is the venue of the event. Four sessions punctuate the symposium, each corresponding to a stage in the conceptual design process: INSPIRATION; DATA COLLECTION; CREATIVITY; and MATERIALIZATION. Each session is filled with a keynote lecture, plenary presentations of selected papers, an open debate with the audience, and a series of hands-on workshops leveraging state-of-the-art tools and methods.