Quintessentially billington: The evolution of structural art teaching at Princeton

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the most classic courses at Princeton University (CEE262, Structures in the Urban Environment) was founded by Professor David Billington (1927-2018) in 1974. The course, based on his scholarship, argues that the best designed structures (bridges, buildings, and shells) are a work of art - structural art. The course integrates humanities with engineering through studies of cultures, people, and art as reflected in works of engineering. Professor Billington used alliterations to reinforce learning: The measures of structural art are efficiency, economy, and elegance; and the structural artist's designs evolve from imitation, to innovation, to inspiration. The authors are Princeton University faculty in who have continued teaching Billington's classic courses (imitation), enhanced it with modern pedagogical approaches (innovation), and created new classes and scholarship inspired by it (inspiration). This paper, in essence, illustrates the many ways that David Billington's legacy and scholarship continue to thrive in creative approaches that one can say are quintessentially Billington.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE
EditorsCarlos Lazaro, Kai-Uwe Bletzinger, Eugenio Onate
PublisherInternational Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering
Pages275-281
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9788412110104
StatePublished - 2019
EventIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: Oct 7 2019Oct 10 2019

Publication series

NameIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE

Conference

ConferenceIASS Symposium 2019 - 60th Anniversary Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures; Structural Membranes 2019 - 9th International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures, FORM and FORCE
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period10/7/1910/10/19

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Building and Construction

Keywords

  • Art
  • Billington
  • Engineer
  • Pedagogy
  • Princeton University
  • Structures

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