The final project in Structural Engineering for Architects was to design, structurally analyze and fabricate a full scale wood stair expressing an aesthetic character and capable of safely carrying a person to elevation 6'-0”. The intention was to give the students the hands-on opportunity to physically understand the interrelationship between a structural system and an architectural design The goals were to illustrate structural principles, such as, axial compression/bending/tension; diaphragms; composite construction; cantilever; and/or structural efficiency, and to develop an aesthetic character/tectonic/expression/theme.

Structural Engineering for Architects, the first of three structural analysis courses required in the undergraduate program, focuses on qualitative and quantitative aspects of the process of structural analysis. Structural analysis is used to achieve a balance between applied forces and materials that resist these forces with safety, economy and style (or commodity, firmness and delight). The stair project was an opportunity for small teams of students to apply the concepts by designing, structurally analyzing and fabricating a complex physical object encountered on a daily basis. Specific requirements included design and fabrication drawings, force diagrams, analysis of loads, application of analytic formulae, and expression of structural principle(s) while meeting the spatial and functional requirements defined by the building code.