FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO

DEPARTMENT OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

ČAUŠEVIĆ AMIR
Faculty of Architecture Sarajevo
MILJANOVIĆ SLAĐANA
Faculty of Architecture Sarajevo

TEACHING STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

SUMMARY

The paper presents a significance of the Department of Structural Analysis and Design education process
for the students of architecture.

WHAT AND WHY WE TEACH - Description of the course

The essence of structural design is to shape each structure to respond effectively to the forces that it
is exposed to. Buildings, like any other physical entity, require structural frameworks to maintain their
existence in a recognizable physical form.

Thus, students of architecture should be involved in the process of creating suitable structural form
throughout education, from their first fundamental lessons to the extended designs of their advanced
courses. Knowledge of statics, which is the science of the effects and distribution of forces on bodies that
remain in equilibrium, is a sufficient basis for the identification of ideal forms.

Knowledge of statics and an art of shaping structures are natural companions. All structural wisdom grows
from understanding of these elements of statics. Students that emerge from a course in statics with a confident
command of them are well prepared to undertake the study of the internal flows of forces.
We believe that almost all students of architecture enter school wishing to acquire a broad technical
competence in structures, materials and methods of construction. They want to learn how to design elegant
structures like those of Santiago Calatrava and materials application as creatively as Renzo Piano. Thus,
the understanding of structural theory and systems remains an essential component of architectural
education.

During the first and second year of study, we are teaching different fields of statics (the external force
systems affecting structural elements) and resistance of materials (the internal forces and deformations
that result from external forces).

The problem for anyone teaching structures has always been to explain structural theories and concepts to
design students, where graphic material can be more meaningful than numbers. It would be a mistake,
however, to ignore numerical techniques, because it has much to offer. For more than a century, the greatest
structural designers have developed their masterpieces through a combination of numerical and graphical
methods. The numerical calculations are included as a concept of explaining and testing of understanding
of the principles involved.

So, we decided to adopt the classical method for teaching of building structures and integrate visual
information with the necessary mathematical models and essential structural principles using examples
and problems that are commonly found in buildings and structures around us, which seemed to be a
logical way of introducing mathematically based material, in a non-threatening way. This balanced
approach to the subject of statics and resistance of material should serve students indicating how to
develop architectural structures well and present basic structural concepts in an easily understood manner
using examples and illustrations. Much of this material has been field tested, revised, and modified over a
course of 50 years of teaching.

Resistance of materials requires knowledge about construction material properties, member cross sections,
and the ability of the material to resist breaking (collapse). Additional concern is that the structural
elements resist excessive deflection and /or deformation.
After the adoption the basic structural theories, during the third and fourth year of study, students learn about
possibilities of the different materials application (reinforced concrete, steel, wood, aluminum...) on structural
elements. There are two courses, “Reinforced Concrete Structures” and “Wooden and Steel Structures”, which
train students about basic theory of calculation, estimation and construction methods for application of
reinforced concrete, steel and wood as a basis for independent selection of structure, contracting and
monitoring the construction of architectural facilities.

The aim of these courses is to provide knowledge about properties of materials, correct and functional selection
of materials for structural elements to students, taking in consideration the mechanical model of the structure as
a whole. Thus, the students get a knowledge how to make an optimal structural form using the preferences of
structural materials (steel and glued laminated timber for long span and light-weight structures, concrete in
classic and modern forms, etc.), taking in consideration structural function and load-bearing behavior of the
structure. In that way, students learn design in all its complexity, taking in account weighing disparate factors
such as side function, economics and aesthetics. Also, they are able to understand that a building with structural
malfunction cannot be aesthetically and functionally good. Design of architectural buildings is complex
interactive work of architects and engineers in all its phases.
There are no sets of rules one can follow in a linear manner to achieve a good design. Nowadays, design of any
comprehensive structure involves a team of designers working jointly with specialists and consultants. The
architect is required to play coordinator and maintain a leadership role. The architect also needs to have a
broad general understanding of the structure with its various problems. The structural principles affect the
form of the building, and a logical solution is always based upon a correct interpretation of these principles.

The structure must be stable and lasting while satisfying the requirements that was built for, and should
achieve the maximum result possible with minimum means.
Goals of Structural Design are efficiency, economy and elegance, which mean that conditions such as
stability, durability, function are fulfilled.

Following Bologna Declaration, a curriculum reform has been conducted at the Faculty of Architecture,
University of Sarajevo, introducing a new approach.
Table 1 – Modules and courses regarding Statics of Architectural Structures
Lectures +
Year Semester Course name ECTS
exercises per week
I Statics of Architectural Structures 1 3 2+1
1
II Statics of Architectural Structures 2 3 2+1
III Statics of Architectural Structure 3 3 2+1
2
IV Statics of Architectural Structures 4 2 1+1
Reinforced Concrete Structures 1 2 1+1
V
Wooden and Steel Structures 1 2 1+1
3
Reinforced Concrete Structures 2 2 1+1
VI
Wooden and Steel Structures 2 1 1+0
Reinforced Concrete Structures 3 2 1+1
4 VII
Wooden and Steel Structures 3 2 1+1

Future Challenges

We should begin realizing that architecture is not just art or science. It belongs to a third realm of
intellectual endeavor called design. Design has its own goals and methods to produce new, involving
imagination and intuition. The design approach is synthesizes and represents a potential solution to the
particular problem, then applies simple tests and critical evaluations to determine whether the proposed
solution is good enough or not. This cycle of synthesis and analysis is repeated innumerable times. All of
architecture is created by this method.

In any of these situations, the most important principle is that mathematics and science should play
supporting roles. In each course, we must consider how much math and science is necessary to support the
functions that an architect should carry out, and then include the specific amount. Calculations have their
role in architectural education, but it is not a fundamental one.

As with structures, students should be given design problems to solve, such as design accompanied with
dimensioned plan and sections, material selections, and details.

It is important to show and discuss actual projects in technical classes. Students appreciate creative
learning process through thoughts and intentions that went into a project, how these were transferred into
materials, details, and structure, what went wrong, what went in right direction, and how a given result
was achieved.

Architecture is all one thing including space, form, materials, structure, details, and control systems. All
must be designed, and all are designed by the same process.

By using slightly different criteria, almost all statics principles such as definition of force systems,
equilibrium conditions, two force members, moments and couples can be explained more clearly and
effectively using the digital animation models. It is also possible the use of digital modeling can also bring
a new level of interest and excitement to the subject matter.
Advances in structural analysis techniques, especially with the advent of the computer, have enabled
designers to explore very complex structures under an array of loading conditions much more rapidly and
accurately than in past. A designer’s knowledge, creativity, and understanding of how a building structure is
to be configured are still essential for the successful project.

The finite element analysis, available through the growing power of computers, is a useful adjunct to numerical
and graphical methods, because it facilitates a detailed examination of stresses and deformations. But, it does
not replace a solid and thorough, fundamental knowledge of the laws of statics. The finding of a suitable form
for each structure is still the worthiest goal of the engineer and architect, as it has been since the beginning.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies focused on increasing student participation and learning process are closely related to doing and
checking homework and attention quizzes, providing homework hints on the web, keeping homework solution,
doing team projects, learning style project and creative exercise project, comparing overall learning in this class
to other classes and so on.

OLD APPROACH NEW APPROACH

Any field matter expert can Teaching is complex and requires
Teaching hypothesis
teach considerable training and effort
Transferred from faculty to
Knowledge Jointly constructed by students and faculty
students
Passive subject to be filled by Active constructor and discoverer of
Students
faculty’s knowledge knowledge
Faculty’s role Classify and sort students Develop students’ competencies and skills
Context Competitive/Individual Cooperative learning
Method used Drill and practice Problem solving and collaboration

Illustrations are taken from: “Statics and strength of materials for architecture and building
construction” / Barry Onouye with Kevin Kane- 2nd ed.; ISBN 0-13-054970-3