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Constructing Equilibrium, FS2014

Teaching concept

The designation Structural Design signifies the idea, defined as programmatic for the Chair of the same title, of the rapprochement between engineer and architect through the conflation of built structure and design concept. A central element of this convergence is graphical statics, a vector-geometric illustration of the distribution of forces in a built structure which dates back to ETH Professor Carl Culmann (1821-1881). The illustration of construction knowledge through a visual language that is understood by an architect and fosters intuition does not present an overly simplified view of interrelationships, but is mathematically precise and meets the standards of engineering sciences. This method of structural analysis also fosters a holistic understanding of the interaction of form and structure, in other words the understanding of the internal forces within a built structure that help determine its form.

last modified 27.3.2020