Form and Formalism: On the Future Role of Structural Design in Architectural Education in China

Architectural designing, creating new form and often unknown structural assemblies, is, we argue, distinct from structural engineering approaches that focus on the dimensioning of members in well-understood kinds of assemblies. Based on a review of compositional approaches, we offer in this paper an appraisal of the dominant educational approaches in structural engineering and architectural design. Based on current trends in both professions, we anticipate a future that sees architectural and structural engineering responsibilities no longer strictly separated but collaboratively integrated, in a way that harnesses benefits of specialist expertise, yet–somewhat reminiscent of the role of the medieval master builder–recognizes the need for generalist awareness and oversight required to achieve architectural and structural innovation. From this position, we propose a learning approach for architectural students that focuses less on rote learning and calculation and emphasizes applied learning through model building and the development of "structural commonsense" through the detailed study of precedent case studies.