Integration in the Classroom: Structural Planning and Design

Structural integration in a building project involves technical, design, and communication skills. A free exchange of ideas happens when team members trust one another and when the various priorities are respected. The appreciation of collaboration methods can take years of work as a practitioner to develop. Can some of these experiences start at the university level? And by what means? Can a participatory learning opportunity be devised that will allow students to explore multiple perspectives on the same project? This paper will examine a course developed to try to answer these questions through the use of an architectural design project within a structural planning course. By beginning with an architectural concept and ending with structural analysis, students were able to see the various demands on the project. This course allowed each student to assume the ‘role' of the structural engineer and architect within the same project, a daunting task for a sixteen-week course. This paper will discuss the framework, educational goals, and tools for the class. The work of the students will illustrate the various stages of the semester and their reflections will provide an insight into their struggles in an interdisciplinary learning environment. The presentation will conclude with an evaluation of the course that, for the most part, successfully engaged the students in two of the main fields in the industry and increased their appreciation of both.