The Relationship
between
Engineering
&
Architecture
References:
The Tower and the Bridge
by David Billington
Bridging the Gap, Proceedings of
the Building Arts Forum
Designers of Three Dimensional
Public Spaces
Architects
Structural
Engineers
Sculptors
3 Measures of Design Performance
• Efficiency
• Scientific Dimension
• Use of Minimal Natural Resouces
• Economy
• Social Dimension
• Use of Minimal Public Resources
• Must Consider Material Costs & Constructability
• Elegance
• Symbolic Dimension
• Aesthetic Motivation of the Designer
Efficiency
• Form Controls the Forces
• Form Changes the Actions & Reactions
Economy
• Dependant upon Time & Place
• Quantities are measurable but…
labor & bidding process are not
Nervi
• A builder and designer of new forms
• “..searching for solutions that were intrinsically and
constructionally the most economic..”
Constructability
• Roebling
• numerous dwgs & studies of construction
methods
Constructability
• Eiffel
• 5000 dwgs of parts &
assembly techniques
• close relationship w/
contractor
• refinement of design
• Pia Maria bridge ->
Garabit Viaduct
• Span: 165m, Material:
wrought iron
Constructability
• Morandi
• detailed investigations of construction process
• Span: 100m, Rise: 20m, Ravine Depth: 110m
Candela
• Hyperbolic
paraboloid
concrete shells
• “ ..the only way
to be an artist in
this difficult
specialty of
building is to be
your own
contractor.”
Elegance
• Aesthetic ideas can
be traced back to
Viollet le Duc,
Entretiens, (1863,
1872)
• Theories on the
importance of
structural
expression and
construction
techniques
Engineering v. Science
• Engineering (Technology) is:
• the making of things that did not previously exist
• creation of specific objects
• Science is:
• the discovery of things that have long existed
• creation of general theories that unify knowledge
• To what extent does technological
innovation flow from scientific
discovery?
Methodology
• Scientific Analysis
• Visual Analysis
• Empirical Analysis
Synthesis of Methodologies
• ETH, Zurich,
• Three Principles of Professor Ritter
• importance of calculations, attempts to simplify
analytical procedures
• engineers have major responsibilities during
construction
• importance of full scale load tests
Robert Maillart
• evolution of three-
hinged concrete
arch bridges
• visual & empirical
methods
Zuoz Bridge, 38.3m
Stauffacher Bridge, 39.6m
Tavanasa Bridge, 51m
The Relationship between
Engineering & Architecture
• Schism
• Collaboration
• Synthesis
Schism
• separation between architect, engineer
and constructor
• pre-schism architect was the “Master
Builder” ie Brunelleschi
What Lead to the Schism:
• Industrial Revolution
introduced new
materials, methods and
aspirations
• specialized schools were
established
• Ecole des Beaux Arts
• ETH, Zurich
• architectural curricula
focused on:
visual methods
• product
•
• engineering curricula
focused on:
• numeric methods
• process
Role of the Architect Today
• Venturi: “The
Decorated Shed”
Role of the Architect Today
• Jorn Utzon, Sydney
Opera House
Role of the Architect Today
• Owens Corning HQ:
Toledo, OH
• CMU CBPD team
• exterior architect
• interior architect
• production drawing
architect
• curtainwall architect
• engineering disciplines
• construction manager
Role of the Engineer Today
• technician vs innovator
• synthesis of scientific & empirical
knowledge
• debate is raging over appropriate
curriculum
De Menil Gallery: Piano & Rice
Two Primary Definitions Of Design
The many ways of describing design, which in turn need to
make the assumption that what counts as a legitimate display
of design knowledge has been ‘agreed upon’, has been
partially rationalised by [Kees] Dorst. Dorst cast the debate
as a dialectic between Simon’s rational problem-solving
paradigm and
Schön’s reflective practice approach.
Willemien Visser
“Design: one, but in different forms” (2008)
slide from D.Willis, PSU
Two Primary Definitions Of
Design: Rational Problem-solving
. . . The boundary between well-structured
and ill-structured problem solving is indeed a
vague and fluid boundary. . . there may be
nothing other than the size of the knowledge
base to distinguish ill-structured problems
from well-structured problems, and that
general problem-solving mechanisms . . .
should be extendable to ill-structured
domains without any need for introducing
qualitatively new components.
Herbert A. Simon
“The Structure of Ill-structured Problems”
Artificial Intelligence 4 (1973)
slide from D.Willis, PSU
Two Primary Definitions Of
Design: Reflective Practice
Conversely, Schön embraces the inherent complexity of
design and regards purely rational approaches with their
reductionist tendencies and emphasis on quantitative data as
unable to cope with the realities of design in practice. The
‘reflective practitioner’ must apply knowledge and
experience to each unique circumstance.
Willemien Visser
“Design: one, but in different forms” (2008)
slide from D.Willis, PSU
Schön Questions The Utility Of Any
Particular Fixed Design Method
Because the unique case falls outside of
the categories of existing theory and
technique, the practitioner cannot treat it
as an instrumental problem to be solved
by applying one set of rules in her store of
professional knowledge.
Donald Schön
Educating the Reflective Practitioner (1987)
slide from D.Willis, PSU
A Continuum Based On Dominant
Design Paradigm
__________________________________________________
Rational problem-solvers
“Simonists”
Reflective practitioners
“Schönians”
Note: the choice of which paradigm to
favor is not necessarily an informed
one; for most design professionals, it
is determined by education, culture
and experience, rather than a
systematic examination of the
available data and theories.
slide from D.Willis, PSU
A Continuum Based On Dominant
Design Paradigm
________________________________________________________
Rational problem-solvers
“Simonists”
Strong emphasis on methodology
Mass-production orientation
Context idealized or ignored
Efficiency stressed
Reflective practitioners
“Schönians”
Weak emphasis on methodology
Oriented to one-off artifacts
Context of paramount importance
Efficiency a secondary concern
slide from D.Willis, PSU
Two Different Viewpoints
• How does the understanding of space/
structure from two different viewpoints
affect the project
Kimball Art Museum:
Kahn & Kommendant
• Is it a Barrel Vault
or
is it an Inverted “T”?
Collaboration
• a close working relationship between
individuals from different backrounds
• mutual respect
• common vocabulary
CCTV:
Koolhaus + Arup
Japan Pavilion Expo 2000:
Buro Happold + Ban + Otto
BMW Welt:
Coop Himmelb(l)au + B&G
Mercedes Museum:
UN Studio + Werner Sobek
Soumaya Museum:
LAR + Fineout + Gehry Technologies
Soumaya Museum:
LAR + Fineout + Gehry Technologies
Soumaya Museum:
LAR + Fineout + Gehry Technologies
Soumaya Museum:
LAR + Fineout + Gehry Technologies
Synthesis
• Can there be a
modern day
“master builder”?
• Nervi, Candela,
Wright, Rogers,
Calatrava
Can the synthetic process be one
of skillful coordination?
• Specialists and
manufacturers are
taking a bigger role
in the process
• Maki, Fujisawa,
Gymnasium Roof
• Ando, Mt Rokko
Chapel, Ground Glass
• Foster, Hong Kong
Shanghai Bank
Synthesis
• Can we transfer technologies and
solutions from other disciplines?
• NASA, composites, ceramics, polymers
Synthesis
• Can the synthetic process be a
redefinition of the problem?
• Traditional process
• client, architect, builder
• design - bid - build
• Owens Corning Process
• CM hires specialized disciplines
Conclusion
• No definitive answers
• CMU curriculum helps to expose you to
these issues so that you are better
prepared for the future but,
• while you have architects & engineers for
teachers you do not collaborate with engineering
students in the studio
• Push yourselves to understand the
relationship between engineering &
architecture through the vehicle of this
studio