ABSTRACT
Architecture education contemplates many subjects in Spain. Courses group into mainly two fields. Courses in disciplines such as Architectural Projects or Urbanism belong to the “Composition” field, while courses in Building Techniques and Structures belong to the “Technical” field. Students usually feel more attracted by creative courses, so motivating them in technical issues is a major challenge for professors. In order to overcome this difficulty, docents of the Valencia School of Architecture are developing new teaching strategies based on the study of the structural behavior of contemporary architecture masterpieces. Understanding the behavior of the structural system of buildings such as the Crown Hall in Chicago (frames), the Barcelona Convention Center (trusses), the Oceanographic in Valencia (shells) or Seagram Builing in New York (high rise) while learning the different trends of contemporary architecture, has emerged as a good methodology for motivating students in the apprenticeship of analysis and design of building structures.
