Free Form Structural Design

Annotation. "Ever since architects dreamt of freely formed buildings, engineers have experienced difficulties in making these buildings structurally viable. The complexity lies in the relatively low-tech approach of the building industry seeking to exploit proven technologies prior to introducing new ones, pared with an everlasting wish to minimize cost, in an environment where simple planar frames have long been dominant. This book presents principles and solutions."--Jacket

"Ever since architects dreamt of freely formed buildings, engineers have experienced difficulties in making these buildings structurally viable. The complexity lies in the relatively low-tech approach of the building industry seeking to exploit proven technologies prior to introducing new ones, pared with an everlasting wish to minimize cost, in an environment where simple planar frames have long been dominant. This book presents principles and solutions."--Jacket.

Here, in one volume, is all the architect needs to know to participate in the entire process of designing structures. Emphasizing bestselling author Edward Allen's graphical approach, the book enables you to quickly determine the desired form of a building or other structure and easily design it without the need for complex mathematics. This unique text teaches the whole process of structural design for architects, including selection of suitable materials, finding a suitable configuration, finding forces and size members, designing appropriate connections, and proposing a feasible method of erection. Chapters are centered on the design of a whole structure, from conception through construction planning.

Intended principally for use by students of architecture, this book provides information required for making sensible choices on the structural aspects of architectural design.

The success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed and engineered by Frank O. Gehry and inaugurated in 1997, opened the eyes of the world to the plastic possibilities of Free Form Design. That is, on the side of architects and their admiring clients. Some architects draw up complicated but surprising and attractive Free Form Designs and win design competitions. The next step is to involve the manufacturing industry and the contractors in realizing these dreams. According to the author(s), the desire and logic for an adapted Free Form Technology will become became apparent after more designs. At Mick Eekhout’s design & build company Octatube the first experiences with Free Form Designs either failed, were aborted, were a disaster or led to unfortunate events such as the bankruptcy of competing firms who took on the projects without major Free Form Design experience. But Free Form design has matured nowadays. Many lessons can be learned from these early experiments, which is the main reason to share these experiences with readers of this book.

Structural Design presents the conceptual and practical underpinnings of basic building design and technology in a single comprehensive source. It provides essential coverage of the integral relationships of structural/architectural form and spatial organization, and an understanding of the impact of load configurations and other key determinants of design. Essential principles as well as structural solutions are visually reinforced with hundreds of architectural drawings, photographs, and other illustrations, making this book truly architect-friendly. Ideal for use as a general and technical reference in the design studio, as a study aid for the architectural registration exam, or as an office resource, Structural Design is a superb companion for the architecture student and practicing professional. It includes: In-depth coverage of steel, wood, reinforced concrete, and masonry, including lateral force generation and design Over 1,000 illustrations and photographs Real-world examples, sample problems, and useful references throughout Conventional and SI unit systems

First Published in 2017. An architect is not usually responsible for producing detailed structural calculations and drawings, unless the building concerned is very small and simple. Where the architect can be most effective in the field of structural design is in the clarity of the manner in which suggested solutions, in the form of schematic designs, are put to a structural engineer. It is vital that an architect can propose forms from which the structural engineer need not deviate, to the extent that the original design concept is violated. It is also important that he or she is able to make an informed and rational choice between apparently unrelated structural systems. The theme of this book therefore arises from the necessity for an architect to possess an extensive structural vocabulary, based on a clear understanding of the relevant underlying principles. Although written mainly for practising architects, it is hoped that the book will also provide a fresh perspective on the subject for building surveyors as well as for civil and structural engineers.

In the critically acclaimed first edition of this book, Mainstone offered a brilliant and highly original account of the structural developments that have made possible the achievements of architects and bridge builders throughout history. In this extensively revised and expanded new edition, the story is brought up to date with the incorporation of new insights and a full coverage of recent developments in both design and construction. The book identifies features that distinguish the forms built by man from those shaped by nature and discusses the physical and other constraints on the choices that can be made. It then looks in turn at all the elementary forms - arches, domes, beams, slabs and the like - which combine into the more complex forms of complete structures, and at the different classes of the complete forms themselves. The development of each form is traced chronologically, but with an emphasis less on the chronology than on the problems that designers have continually faced in trying to serve new ends with limited means or to serve old ones in new ways. The book concludes with a chapter on the processes of design, showing how the designer's freedom of choice has been widened by a growing understanding of structural behaviour. 360 photographs and drawings, mostly original and prepared by the author himself, including over 100 that are new, accompany the richly imaged text. Covers all aspects of structure providing the reader with a comprehensive text on the subject Learn from the vast knowledge of this experienced author Over 300 photographs and drawings make the book easy to comprehend