This is a one-stop book for knowing everything important about building structures. Self-contained and with no prerequisites needed, it is suitable for both general readers and building professionals.








follow the history of structural understanding;







grasp the concepts of structural behaviour via step-by-step explanations;







apply these concepts to a simple building;







see how these concepts apply to real buildings, from Durham Cathedral to the Bank of China;







use these concepts to define the design process;







see how these concepts inform design choices;







understand how engineering and architecture have diverged, and what effect this had;







learn to do simple but relevant numerical calculations for actual structures;