Reviewed by Lester Korzilius  
Aproximately 500 words 

Published in Oculus, November 1995

This British book is a study of the collaboration between the architect and structural engineer. The book mainly uses British projects, and includes the work of British architects such as Foster, Rogers, Hopkins, Grimshaw, Arup Associates, and British engineers such as Ove Arup & Partners (OAP), Anthony Hunt, Peter Rice, and Buro Happold. Many projects shown are breathtaking examples of integrated architecture and engineering. However, this book is valuable for two other reasons. First, it shows how creative professionals can use a changing technological and manufacturing base to produce works that would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. Second, and more important, it emphasizes the importance of process in this type of architecture. 

The book shows how the computer is radically changing the design and construction methods of buildings. From the architectural design standpoint, the computer allows the definition of complex geometries with greater ease than would be available by manual means. Illustrated projects include tensioned fabric structures by the Buro Happold with double curved anticlastic geometries and the Waterloo train station terminus by Nicholas Grimshaw, with Anthony Hunt, deploying a complex curved truss system, using only a minimum of different components. The use of computer controlled machine tools is also radically changing what is achievable within a project's cost constraints. Fabricators can manufacture complex unique components for a fraction of the cost of manual production. For example, the Montreuil Sports Stadium outside Paris has curved steel box girders, with a varying cross sectional area, made up of four uniquely curved faces. The contractor constructed these of welded steel plates cut using computer controlled cutting tools. The cable stayed granite arches of the Pavilion of the Future by MBM and Peter Rice / OAP required precisely cut granite pieces with a tolerance of 1 mm. The masons achieved this with computer controlled machine tools. 

More important than individual projects is the element of process. Upon careful observation, one observes that the architectural and structural solutions employed are the result of considerable exchange and interaction between the architect and structural engineer that extended through the duration of the project's design. Compare this with many other buildings, where a form is imposed a priori by the architect, and the engineer struggles to make it work, no matter the structural difficulties. The communications tower in Barcelona by Foster Associates with OAP is a refined and elegant design that would not have been possible by either party working in isolation. The roof of the Chur bus station in Switzerland, by Brosi/Obrist with Peter Rice is a delicious minimalist glass and steel roof that is exquisitely detailed both architecturally and structurally. 

The book concludes with a case study of the design process of the Commerzbank in Frankfurt, designed by Foster Associates with OAP. This is particularly insightful as it describes the very wide range of options that the architect and engineer evaluated during the design process. The apparent simplicity of the finished building belies the level of thought brought to all parts of this project. 

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