The Department of Structural Design and Timber Engineering

The Department of Structural Design and Timber Engineering works in the area where architecture and technology meet between creativity and science of our built environment. The departments working style can be characterised by citing both artists and engineers: The artist Alexander Calder speaks of “building” as a complex relationship between that which supports and that which is supported. The engineer Pier Luigi Nervi refers to construction, economics, and functionality as the vocabulary of architectural communication, interconnected by the rules of engineering. Lyrical composition or even simple prose is impossible without an understanding of the technical grammar and syntax. In other words, the architectural quality of the built environment cannot be separated from the applied technology. The departments’ research and teaching activities focus on structural design (for architects) and timber construction (for architects and civil engineers).Integrated in the architecture and planning faculty, the department also serves as a civil engineering department for structural design in wood. This bridging position between the building faculties is used for interdisciplinary work and events that span across faculties to foster an understanding of building as a complex whole.