Class information
ARCH121 Structural Systems 1
- CRN: 20309
- Credits: 2
- Locations, days, times, and instructors:
- Remote, WWednesday, from 2 to 3:50pm
From April 3 through June 12, 2024, Casey Goodwin
- Remote, WWednesday, from 2 to 3:50pm
Class materials
Textbooks
No textbooks required
Details about this class
Course Overview
The study of structures has always been an essential part of architecture. Whether the structure is a simple shelter or a complex high-rise building, the builder faces the challenge of shaping materials to attain a structure that will withstand the forces of people, machines and nature. The number of potential variables can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. A knowledge of structures on the part of the builder constrains these variables to a manageable problem that can be solved. Furthermore, the “correctness” of structure enhances the aesthetic value of architecture.
Course Outcomes
This introductory course on architectural structures will introduce the student to basic structural behavior and concepts. One focus will be on identifying and examining structural systems, sub-systems, and components in a conceptual, non-numerical manner. A minor focus will be on numerical analysis of structural systems through basic structural calculations.
This course will attempt a new pedagogical practice so that students, as stated by Professor Mario Salvadori at Columbia University, will not lose sight of the “structural woods because of the mathematical trees” (Fiske, Edward. “Architecture Goes to Harlem 7th Graders.” The New York Times, 21 Feb. 1977, p. 20).
The class format will consist of lectures, model demonstrations, slides, and load testing of student-built projects. Student participation during lectures will be encouraged as a means towards generating a more meaningful connection between structural concepts and the student’s own experiences. Students completing this course will be expected to have developed a general structural vocabulary and a familiarity with the elementary aspects of structural behavior.
Course Links for Spring 2024:
Technology
Optional Textbooks
Graphic Guide to Frame Construction, by Rob Thallon, 4th Edition, Taunton Press, c2016, ISBN 9781631863721
Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture, by Mario Salvadori, W.W. Norton and Co., c1980, ISBN 0-393-30676-3
No show policy
Your instructor can mark you as a "no show" if you do not participate in your class during the first week. This will remove you from the class.
Students with disabilities
Students with disabilities should notify their instructor if accommodations are needed to take this class. For information about technologies that help people with disabilities taking Online based classes please visit the Disability Services website.