Structures: A Studio Approach

Understanding how gravity loads and wind and earthquake loads flow through a building is of utmost importance to all structural engineers and architects. Paradoxically, this critical idea is practically not addressed in any textbook on the market. Meant as a companion to the author’s Structures: A Geometric Approach, this textbook fills that need with qualitative techniques as well as quantitative tools that use state of the art visual representation of forces and deformations in structures. Structures: A Studio Approach reaches out to both structural engineers and designers by presenting structural engineering topics in an interdisciplinary studio environment. Using many graphical techniques, it offers a very rigorous approach, but also enables creativity. Cutting edge finite element as well as parametric modeling tools are used, and state of the art visual representations of force flow help both groups of students realize that understanding three dimensional load flow in a building is a requirement for channeling that flow in a structurally efficient and visually expressive manner. Ultimately, the reader is able to develop a unique structural sensibility; an ethos that places structural design on an equal footing with the design of program, skin, massing and site.