Structural Engineering is Much More than Formulas: Introducing a New Course on Philosophy of Structures

This paper presents the objectives, contents and teaching methodologies used in a new course on Philosophy of Structures developed at the School of Civil Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia in Spain. The course combines the analysis of engineers’ writings, selected case studies, visual analysis of structures, graphic statics and field trips with the writing of a paper about a particular structure. In their paper, the students must comment on the technical data of the structure and on its authors, but they also have to delve into the links between structure, society, aesthetics and architecture. Results show that the course develops students’ structural intuition and creativity and fosters a passion for engineering.