The Structural Basis of Architecture: Edition 3

Bjørn N. Sandaker · Arne P. Eggen · Mark R. Cruvellier

Mar 2019 · Routledge

About this ebook

This is a book that shows how to "see" structures as being integral to architecture. It engages a subject that is both about understanding the mechanical aspects of structure as well as being able to relate this to the space, form, and conceptual design ideas that are inherent to the art of building.

Analyzing the structural principles behind many of the best-known works of architecture from past and present alike, this book places the subject within a contemporary context. The subject matter is approached in a qualitative and discursive manner, illustrated by many photographs and structural behavior diagrams. Accessible mathematical equations and worked-out examples are also included so as to deepen a fundamental understanding of the topic.

This new, color edition’s format has been thoroughly revised and its content updated and expanded throughout. It is perfect as either an introductory structures course text or as a designer’s sourcebook for inspiration, for here two essential questions are addressed in parallel fashion: “How do structures work?” and “What form do structures take in the context of architecture – and why so?” A rich, varied and engaging rationale for structural form in architecture thus emerges.

About the author

Bjørn N. Sandaker is a structural engineer and Professor of Architectural Technology at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway, as well as Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. His particular academic interest focuses on the borderline between architecture and structural engineering. He is author of On Span and Space: Exploring Structures in Architecture (Routledge 2008) and co-author of Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture and Culture (Routledge 2017).

Arne P. Eggen

is an architect and Emeritus Professor at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway. For over three decades he taught and conducted research on the architectural basis of structure and bridge design. Eggen has been awarded several international prizes for his bridge design work.

Mark R. Cruvellier

is a structural engineer and the Nathaniel and Margaret Owings Distinguished Alumni Memorial Professor in Architecture as well as former Chair of the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA. He teaches and conducts research in the area of structural form and behavior considered within the context of architecture and is co-author of Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture and Culture (Routledge 2017). Cruvellier has worked on numerous built projects ranging from sliver skyscrapers in New York City to wilderness footbridges in British Columbia, Canada.