Introduction
Arguably, certain works of structural engineering art are also considered to be works of architectural design. Professor David P. Billington of Princeton University defines structural design in his book "The Tower of the Bridge" as an art that has attained the quality of being categorized in the areas of the economy, efficiency, and elegance as guided by the three E's of structural art 1 . For designers to achieve the concept of structural art, they are supposed to use their creativity and come up with an elegant structure that is tailored to meet the specifications of structural engineering. However, Billington argues that structural art is a parallel discipline that does not depend on architecture 2 . In fact, he uses the example of Brooklyn Bridge to support his argument that the bridge is the work of structural art and independent of architecture. His point of view ignores the fact that there is a connection between architecture and structure design 3 . Some scholars believe that before engineers build a structure, they require the knowledge of architects to design the model that will provide the former with a template to follow during construction.
How Architecture and Structural Design Intersect
Various artists such as Felix Candela agree with the fact that most structural works are as a result of prior architectural designs. They argue that a structure cannot be a safe and serviceable without being a successful work of structural engineering design. Also, some artists state that a structure that has no prior architectural input has higher chances of failing to be economical, elegant, and efficient. However, none of the artists precisely points out the connection of the two disciplines; architecture and structural design; and how the two depend on one another 4 . To elaborate his point, Candela uses his works in the building of Los Manantiales Restaurant in Mexico City that he applied the two disciplines to meet the design strength parameters, functionality, and beauty. But on the other hand, Billington argues that a structure built to satisfy architectural art does not qualify to be an engineering art because the initial design mostly focuses on the beauty of the structure and not its function.
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Abstract of the Proposal
My Ph.D. research will focus on the works of architects and engineers who merged architectural design and structural design where the boundaries between the two fields: architecture and engineering; have not been interlinked 5 . In this research, I will compare the materials used in construction in the 18th century that were mainly wood and stone and how the transformation into iron and then to modern construction materials have transformed the structures built in our time 6 . For that reason, this study will review the works of artists like Felix Candela, Michael Hopkins, Frei Otto, Fazlur Khan, and Buckminster Fuller who integrated both architecture and structural design in buildings. I will study how the structure of their buildings excelled in elegance, efficiency, and economy. To make their works satisfying, I will explore other varying factors such as time and construction material that continuously change with the advancement of technology.
Reasons for Conducting the Research
This research is critical in academics for scholars both in architecture and civil engineering schools who lack enough experts that can integrate the two disciplines while teaching structure classes. In structural design studios and workshops, students still find architectural ideas parallel to their design classwork 7 . Recent surveys indicate that trials by the two faculties to share some classes that would interlink the two disciplines have given questionable results 8 . The setback has always been how the students can be able to optimize the function of a structure such as a building while still considering the beauty aspects of the structure 9 . My dissertation will address these issues with an in-depth analysis and come up with a solution that will remain as a reference for students and professors in the two fields.
Bibliography
Billington, David P. "Bridges and the New Art of Structural Engineering: Good bridge designs exemplify the three criteria of structural art: minimum use of materials, minimum cost, and maximum aesthetic expression." American Scientist 72, no. 1 (1984): 22-31.
Billington, David P. The tower, and the bridge: the new art of structural engineering. Princeton University Press, 1985.
Buri, Hani, and Yves Weinand. "ORIGAMI—Folded plate structures, architecture." In 10th World Conference on Timber Engineering, (2008). 2-5.
Chen, Po-Han, Lu Cui, Caiyun Wan, Qizhen Yang, Seng Kiong Ting, and Robert LK Tiong. "Implementation of IFC-based web server for collaborative building design between architects and structural engineers." Automation in construction 14, no. 1 (2005): 115-128.
Gallant, Joseph. "The shape of the Eiffel Tower." American Journal of Physics 70, no. 2 (2002): 160-162.
Garlan, David, Robert Monroe, and David Wile. "Acme: An architecture description interchange language." In CASCON First Decade High Impact Papers, (2010). 159-172.
Hu, Nan, Peng Feng, and Gong-Lian Dai. "Structural art: Past, present, and future." Engineering Structures 79 (2014): 407-416.
Kerschen, Gaetan, Keith Worden, Alexander F. Vakakis, and Jean-Claude Golinval. "Past, present and future of nonlinear system identification in structural dynamics." Mechanical systems and signal processing 20, no. 3 (2006): 505-592.
Mitchell, William J. The logic of architecture: Design, computation, and cognition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
Vanderplaats, G. N. "Structural optimization-past, present and future." AIAA Journal 20, no. 7 (1982): 992-1000.
1 . Vanderplaats, G. N. "Structural optimization-past, present and future." AIAA Journal 20, no. 7 (1982): 992-1000.
2 . Billington, David P. The tower and the bridge: the new art of structural engineering. Princeton University Press, 1985.
3 . Garlan, David, Robert Monroe, and David Wile. "Acme: An architecture description interchange language." In CASCON First Decade High Impact Papers, (2010). 159-172.
4 . Chen, Po-Han, Lu Cui, Caiyun Wan, Qizhen Yang, Seng Kiong Ting, and Robert LK Tiong. "Implementation of IFC-based web server for collaborative building design between architects and structural engineers." Automation in construction 14, no. 1 (2005): 115-128.
5 . Hu, Nan, Peng Feng, and Gong-Lian Dai. "Structural art: Past, present and future." Engineering Structures 79 (2014): 407-416.
6 . Mitchell, William J. The logic of architecture: Design, computation, and cognition. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
7 . Billington, David P. "Bridges and the New Art of Structural Engineering: Good bridge designs exemplify the three criteria of structural art: minimum use of materials, minimum cost, and maximum aesthetic expression." American Scientist 72, no. 1 (1984): 22-31.
8 . Buri, Hani, and Yves Weinand. "ORIGAMI—Folded plate structures, architecture." In 10th World Conference on Timber Engineering, (2008). 2-5.
9 . Gallant, Joseph. "The shape of the Eiffel Tower." American Journal of Physics 70, no. 2 (2002): 160-162.
