The Engineering of Art
Unique structural sculptures in public spaces fulfill a demand for art, city beautification, memorials, etc., as well as to meet the desire for more geometric forms and materials.
Bringing creativity to life, however, requires a design approach that is more complex than the classic load-bearing capacity of a structure. It expands into issues including load application, structural response, and performance expectations. However, specific guidance for the structural design of sculptures is lacking.
Examples include new materials or systems with little to no prior data in structural use, methods of applying loads to non-standard geometries, how humans might interact with the sculpture (whether intentional to the art or not) with defining limit state design approaches that are applicable, and approaches of communicating expectations with Clients for the behavior of unique non-standard structural sculptures.
Most importantly, if the structural engineer is to contribute to the success of the artwork, they must understand the artist’s creative intentions to create a material object in space that has not existed before (and may never again). This is the antithesis of classic engineering education and examination based on complete provided information and a singular correct answer. You are in the land of the unknown, assigned to make it real!
As every artwork is unique, there cannot be a singular checklist that will suffice, but sculpture projects in general face some or all the issues discussed here. These guidelines are a starting place for future engineers in this creative realm—providing the flexibility required to truly encapsulate the very artistic spirit you are working to protect.
Publisher
STRUCTURE Magazine