Understanding the World's Greatest Structures: Science and Innovation from Antiquity to
Modernity
by Stephen Ressler (Biography)
The following materials are provided to enhance your learning experience. Click the links below
for free information including a professor-authored course summary, recommended web links,
and a condensed bibliography.
Course Summary - Professor's written description of the course.
Professor Recommended Links
Condensed Bibliography - Prepared by the professor for this course.
Course Summary
What makes a structure a building, bridge, or tower great? The phrase "great structure"
might bring to mind structures famous for their age, their size, their beauty, or all three: Egypt's
pyramids, France's Gothic cathedrals, or New York's skyscrapers, just to name a few. But from
an engineer's perspective, greatness is not just a matter of aesthetics. In fact, most engineers
agree with the pronouncement by Vitruvius, a 1st-century B.C. Roman architect-engineer. To be
considered great, Vitruvius said in his treatise De architectura, a construction must be
exemplary in its form, function, or structure. In this course, we will not only study the principles of
form, function, and structure the "why" that made these particular structures great; we will also
look at the mathematical and mechanical principles the "how" of their construction; after all,
the only thing more awe inspiring than seeing a great structure is understanding the complex and
beautiful principles behind its construction.
The course is roughly divided into 3 parts. In the first part, we'll look at the physical laws that
underlie the engineering of great structures. We will look at some of the math, but mostly we will
learn to use free-body diagrams the way modern engineers do to trace the flow of forces through
a construction. With those tools in hand, we'll embark on the second part of the course, studying
the 6 basic types of structural members arches, beams, cables, columns, tension members,
and trusses that are the basic parts of any structure. We'll learn about how each of these
members behaves under load and how it contributes to the overall stability of a structure or
lack thereof. In this part, we'll also look at various construction materials from early uses of
wood, stone, and mud brick to modern materials like steel and reinforced concrete and how
each is particularly suited to use in different structural members.
Finally, the third and longest part of the course will be spent looking at the world's greatest
structures themselves, as well as some less-successful structures that nonetheless contributed
to the development of engineering knowledge. We'll start with the Pyramids at Giza some of
the oldest surviving structures that can legitimately be called works of engineering and other
great works of the ancient and classical Mediterranean world. We'll look at how and why the
arch became the signature of the great architectural works of Roman civilization and how they
used this structural form to such amazing effect. We'll examine the great cathedrals of Europe,
from the great Romanesque basilicas through the stunning stone skeletons of the Gothic period
to the brilliant innovations of Renaissance engineers. Next, we'll learn about the challenge of
bridge building and the many ingenious solutions engineers have developed for spanning great
distances with safety, economy, and beauty. Then we'll turn to the phenomenon of skyscrapers
the innovations that made them possible and the amazing ways they met the challenge of
attaining great height. At last, we'll look at perhaps the most underappreciated feature of any
great structure, the roof, and how techniques both new and old have created myriad, beautiful
ways for achieving the deceptively simple goal of shelter.
The course wraps up with a final lecture on putting all of this knowledge to use, giving you a
chance to test your skills in analyzing structures. My hope is that when you finish this course, you
will have a new appreciation of the wonderful structures all around you, from the simplest to the
most complex an appreciation born not only of aesthetic appreciation but of a deep
understanding of the principles that made them possible.
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Professor Recommended Links
http://en.structurae.de/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
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Condensed Bibliography
These selected titles from the reading list are now available on Amazon.com. Click on a title for
more information and/or to order the title.
Building Big. Macauley, D
Uses the author's sketches to illustrate how representative examples of great
structures were built. Intended primarily for young people; but appropriate for all
ages, because of the unique clarity of its illustrations.
Building: 3000 Years of Design Engineering and Construction. Addis, B
A comprehensive and well-illustrated history of building design and construction,
with emphasis on the evolution of engineering design and innovation.
Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America .
Petroski, H
An engaging history of bridge-building in the United States, with emphasis on the
work of Eads, Cooper, Lindenthal, Moisseiff, and Ammann.
Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. Gordon, J
A well-written and entertaining introduction to engineering mechanics for non-
engineers.
The Tower and the Bridge: The New Art of Structural Engineering . Billington, D
Thought-provoking analysis of noteworthy towers, bridges, and thin-shell structures
that are both engineering marvels and, in Billington's view, works of art.
Why Buildings Fall Down. Salvadori, M
An introduction to structural engineering, using case studies of structural failures to
illustrate important concepts.
Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture . Salvadori, M
An excellent introduction to structural engineering, using great structures to illustrate
important concepts.
In some cases the only available book from Amazon is a newer edition than the one used by the
professor. The edition used by the professor may be available on the used market.
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