ABSTRACT
In his opening remarks at the 1989 conference entitled “Bridging the Gap”, Mario Salvadori laid out the root cause of the perceived difficulties in the relationship between the professions of architecture and structural engineering. The conference, hosted by the Building Arts Forum of New York, brought together academics and practitioners to critically examine the relationship between architect and engineer. Salvadori, a well-respected structural engineer at Weidlinger Associates and educator of students of both professions, found the root cause to be the way in which these professionals are educated. Students of the two professions are trained in isolation, and are then expected to smoothly transition to being thrust together in practice (Salvadori 1991). While architects are required to take coursework in the fundamentals of structural mechanics, engineers rarely if ever are exposed to coursework in architecture. This lack of understanding of each other’s worldview is the foundation of the rift. Salvadori is careful not to advocate for the individual who attempts to educate themselves across both disciplines as he fears they will lack a deep grasp of the special skill sets required to truly excel at either. Rather he calls for creating an educational environment that fosters mutual respect and understanding of each respective profession.
