Architectural Aesthetics and Structural Engineering
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Building to Succeed: Architectural Aesthetics & Structural Engineering Kathy L. Braunschweig Black Middle School Architectural detailing and design, the art of architecture, must never hide the larger structural forms. ~ Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Principles of Architecture Figure 1, Highway 59 Bridge, Houston, TX (Photo by K. Braunschweig) INTRODUCTION Why would a fairly new bridge in Houston be adorned with four big, brightly red, and completely superfluous, balls at its entrance? Traveling over miles of other more conservatively designed concrete and steel bridges, students in most any major city can also see an impressive downtown skylines filled with imposing and recognizable corporate skyscrapers. Why don’t big buildings have big red balls? Looking at bridges and skyscrapers worldwide, what accounts for their similarities and their differences? Architectural design blends form and structure and aesthetics along with those elements contributing to structural integrity. A work of architecture, whether a bridge or building, satisfies both the criteria of function and form, constructive strength and aesthetic effect (Zannos 9). For example, an American design for twin towers, like the World Trade Center, offers an aesthetically different form from its Asian counterpart, the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, though both incorporate similar function structures of load-bearing walls, beams, cores, and columns. Built not only to meet functional and structural considerations, both these buildings become iconic architectural works of art by blending form and function into their design. In a larger sense, the construction of buildings and bridges define the landscape of cultures, time periods, and directly impacts the quality of life. A shifting background of human growth and expansion reflects both technological and architectural changes of particular cultural expectations. Classic and romantic philosophies merge to create a concrete reality. How does that reality, manifested through surroundings of specific building shapes, impact the life experiences of the people living in those constructs? How does architectural setting affect students arriving at Kathy L. Braunschweig 1 school each day? Environment matters. The milieu of culture expressed through architectural elements directly impact life experiences. How does architecture positively or negatively impact the learning experiences of children? Perhaps students’ perception of the world, how successfully they relate to and create the world they live in, like magnificent architecture, can be built. Analyzing and evaluating the romantic perspective of aesthetics and the classical perspective of engineering, students build their own academic success. More importantly, taking responsibility for their own learning and actively engaging in building their academic success, can lead students to building more functional societies changing both the shape of cultural and physical landscapes. Figure 2, Houston Skyline, 2005 (Photo by K. Braunschweig) Crossing bridges, seeing superlative skylines and beautiful buildings in a plethora of geometric shapes can open students to an understanding of how math and structural engineering impacts their daily lives and how they can become involved in the building of their own lives and their own community. Simultaneously, students explore the separation of classical and romantic understanding, the art of architecture juxtaposed with the scientific underlying forms of structural engineering. As creating the application of abstract concepts is an expected extension of learning, students may begin to grasp the notion that the substance and subject of learning is not isolated in time or space but has a direct relationship to their lives in which their own investment in caring and attention must be paid. Too often students are passive in their own learning, seeing school primarily as a tool for social interaction rather than an opportunity for intellectual growth and as a period of time to be passed with the least amount of effort, completing assignments from which they are disconnected and focusing on the earning of grades rather than meaningful sense- making. Students can take a more active role in building their own learning through hands-on applications and problem solving, replacing the attitude of spectator with that of attentive participant crafting understanding. Structural engineering is a process, at its core an application of math and science. Students can be taught to think like structural engineers: asking questions, becoming problem-solvers, learning from the past, designing within constraints, applying math and science, and working as effective team members to turn ideas into reality (Space Center Houston Exhibit, 2005). Asking students to apply math and science concepts in a constructivist fashion, building their own bridges, experimenting with their own designs, examining possibilities for new applications rather than passively listening to lectures and coming away with only a vague understanding of basic math and science concepts can ignite passion for the sciences and build success. 2 Houston Teachers Institute Figure 3, World Trade Center, New York Architecture and structural engineering invites students to make a connection to society offering the challenge of real life application of shapes and math. As a doorway to new designs, students can explore the larger questions underlying the construction of culture, make alternate models, and begin contributing in a tangible way. Teaching quality and providing an authentic learning experience through the exploration of concrete applications of math and science enables students to make the discoveries necessary before applying their newly acquired knowledge. Requiring active participation and direct contact with materials and the creative process, students can take ownership of their learning, becoming more responsible. Ultimately grasping their role as a member of a larger community, students can begin to realize the inter-connectedness of what they are learning, or not learning, builds not only an individual life but also a larger society. Surroundings count. What students value directly contributes to how the world appears. Culture changes based upon value systems. The physical environment is directly impacted by cultural changes and shifts in values. Without building success and a strong foundation in math and science, what will their world look like? Through building architectural constructs, engaging in problem solving, examining the creative process and experimenting and testing design and the underlying structural engineering creating it, students discover what can be important. If students take an active role in building their community, will society look differently than it does now? The educational landscape of students’ lives can be built more effectively not only by inviting students to engage as active participants in their own learning but designing curriculum requiring mindful attention to meaningful sense-making. Students become aware through hands-on learning that they can create and make meaningful contributions often having a direct and immediate impact in their lives. Kathy L. Braunschweig 3 Figure 4, Petronas Towers, Malaysia (BootsnAll Travel Network. Posted by Pearce) Without requiring students to have a basic understanding of math and science though, in the context of an invigorating and rigorous academic curriculum, how will bridges and buildings continue to be built in America? The educational missteps of social promotion, “teaching to the test,” and focusing on student bonding and self-esteem rather than academic rigor incur a higher cost to society than simply undereducated kids. Math and science are the underpinnings of buildings and bridges. However, in 2005, the National Science Foundation published data indicating the United States now produces far fewer engineers than ever before (Herbold 1). Currently, China produces three times the number of engineers as the U.S. and overall, students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the fields of engineering and science have dropped dramatically. Dr. R.E. Smalley, the Nobel winning scientist said, “By 2010, 90 percent of all Ph.D. physical scientists and engineers in the world will be Asian and living in Asia” (Quoted in Herbold 1). The underlying problem further exacerbating the decline of the education of future scientists in the United States is the abysmal academic performance of K-12 students within science subjects. For example, only two percent (2%) of all 12th graders are ranked as “advanced” in science by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) while only sixteen percent (16%) were even ranked as being “proficient.” How is it that eighty-four (84%) of all graduating high school seniors in America are not proficient in science and have failed to learn even the basics? Further, in math, the language of science, a full ninety percent (90%) of students in all other countries ranked higher than students in the United States (Herbold 2). Clearly, students have not actually constructed a meaningful understanding in math or science, despite the rationalizations of the educational community, and need to start building to succeed. Seeing physical differences in the world around them, students can learn from the external aesthetics of architecture and begin to apply the unseen engineering principles creating each particular structure. Examining the cultural base and value systems associated with architecture