ARH 320 Structures: Wood & Steel

Collaboration between architects and structural engineers determines the success and safety of a building. Seeing architecture from the perspective of a structural engineer, you will evaluate the unique properties of wood and steel, common structural materials in the US, in response to gravity and lateral forces.

Prerequisites: ARH 255, ARH 320L (concurrent), LA 219 (C- or higher), LA 296 (C- or higher) and either LA 293 (C- or higher) or LA 256 or Quantitative Literacy Exam score of 400 or higher.

Featured Image: Kitazawa Kenchiku Factory

Course Learning Outcomes

• Identify and name the main structural elements in wood and steel buildings.
• Calculate, using straight forward methods and approximations, the forces on a wood or steel building.
• Distribute, using straight forward methods and approximations, building forces to structural members.
• Design the typical structural members in a wood or steel building, supporting floors.
• Design columns in a wood or steel building based on axial strength considerations.
• Select and design the most appropriate footings for a wood or steel building.
• Analyze and discuss of the basic principles of structural behavior in withstanding gravity and lateral forces and the evolution, range, and appropriate application of contemporary structural systems.