Seven Structural Engineers: The Felix Candela Lectures

摘要

This book is an illustrated collection of talks delivered at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) between 1998 and 2005. The title, The Felix Candela Lectures (held in honour of Spanish engineer Candela), implies that the structural engineering presented has an artistic pretension, based in itself and in the processes of construction. The selection committee included architects, designers and academics and their choice of speakers is wide-ranging. The selected practising engineers approach their workfrom very different angles. International cultural differences, as well as intra-industry ones, clearly emerge. An example of this is the way in which Leslie Robertson, tall building engineer, pursues entirely different objectives to Christian Menn, bridge expert. The variety of structural concepts discussed in the lectures is fascinating. Japanese engineer Mamoru Kawaguchi speaks of 'soft steel structures', all the time pursuing the constructability of things. He describes a 'Saturn ring' connection, something I have seen invented completely independently of Kawaguchi, which suggests that structural forms have always lain ready for discovery.