The relationship between architecture and structure

▲Building structures serve to bear loads in buildings; they refer to the components such as beams, slabs, columns, and shear walls in frame structures that are used to withstand shear forces. ▲Architecture is conceived, while structure is created. ★Regarding the relationship between architecture and structure, here is someone’s opinion for reference only: ▲As for architecture, I believe it should be viewed from its fundamental requirements: functional needs must always come first. I’ve always been opposed to those buildings that may look splendid on the surface but have little practical use; they require a lot of time, labor, and materials. It’s common to hear architects complain: some complain that the structure limits their creativity, while others complain that the clients don’t approve of their designs and modify them. ▲I always feel that working in architecture involves more intuition than rationality. As for structure, I’m not sure if you have actually been involved in the actual design of structures; structure is a serious scientific discipline, and terms like \"more or less\" or \"based on intuition\" have no place in it. Believe me, I’m not exaggerating – structural design is not what outsiders imagine it to be. When it comes to design, I think \"calculation\" is a more appropriate term. When I was working on my graduation project, I dealt with a very simple eight-story frame-shear wall structure; aside from the design of the main framework and shear walls, there were only a few minor components to consider. It took me three months to complete it, and there were countless mistakes – it was a real mess. Of course, this was also due to my weak foundational skills. Many people in the field of architecture think they understand structure just after learning about concrete, beams, and columns; it’s really ridiculous. Of course, I’m not trying to belittle my colleagues in architecture – it’s you who create those beautiful visual appearances. But it’s true that structure cannot be something that can be figured out casually by just writing a few words about it. If I have to make a comparison with architecture, then I would say that one needs more talent for architecture if one wants to become someone like Beaux. ▲While working on structures requires a more serious and meticulous approach.

Taking buildings as an example, the architectural team is responsible for things such as renderings of the building, its elevations, and floor plans – in other words, determining how rooms, living areas, bathrooms, etc. should be arranged, where and how large windows should be placed, what color they should be, how wide doors should be and what style they should have. They also consider factors like foot traffic, fire safety requirements regarding corridor width, as well as how to handle waterproofing issues and what type of tiles to use. The structural team, on the other hand, is responsible for creating the structural elements based on the architectural plans; this includes foundation plans, column placement diagrams, beam reinforcement plans, and slab reinforcement plans. In simple terms, it involves deciding how many piles need to be driven, what size the columns should be and how much reinforcement is required, what size the beams should be and how much reinforcement is needed, and how thick the slabs should be and what amount of reinforcement is required. These two fields work closely together: as soon as the architectural team develops a design, the structural team starts working on the structural aspects, and then together they create the construction drawings. Any problems that arise are discussed promptly with each other, and adjustments are made until the final drawings are ready. So, if the architectural team designs a building with an unusual shape (like CCTV’s “Big Pants”), the structural team will be very frustrated – although it may look good, it’s difficult to construct, and the structural engineers will worry about various issues, even having trouble sleeping at night out of concern that no one will bring them food once they’re inside. In short, it’s the architects who become famous, while it’s the structural engineers who often suffer the consequences. This post was last edited by tpjj on 2009-3-4 at 22:33

Thank you all for your answers; I now have a preliminary understanding! The sentence on the third floor that says \"So, those who become famous are in the field of architecture, while those who lose their lives are in the field of structural engineering\" is quite interesting

I’m also an amateur; I’m learning about it~~~

Architectural design and structural design are the two most important aspects of the entire building design process, playing a crucial role in the appearance of the building as well as its structural stability. And there is a relationship of mutual coordination and restraint between the two. In architectural design, a few architects always place the structure in a subordinate position, demanding that it obey the architectural design; everything is to be guided by the architectural aspects. This approach undermines the integrity of scientific principles, ignores basic mechanical laws, and focuses solely on combining architecture with technology and artistic elements as well as on meeting functional requirements to the fullest extent. As a result, this often leads to quality issues and safety hazards in the construction of certain buildings. Any architectural design scheme will have an impact on the specific structural design, and limited structural design capabilities in turn restrict the level of architectural design. Therefore, in the process of architectural design, architects should have a certain foundation in structural aspects and be able to integrate them appropriately with structural design, coordinating with each other to achieve unity, so as to create truly excellent architectural designs.