ABSTRACT
In the last twenty years, the author was involved in numerous projects as a structural engineer in collaboration with several Swiss architects, i.e Christian Kerez, Peter Zumthor, Morger & Degelo, Giuliani Hönger, Graber & Steiger. He has thereby gained a unique insight in the interdisciplinary design process. As a professor for structural design and as a practicing structural engineer, he is strongly interested in the rapprochement between engineer and architect through the conflation of built structure and design concept. A central element of this convergence is graphical statics; the developed design philosophy fosters a holistic understanding of the interaction of form and structure, in other words the understanding of the internal forces within a built structure that help determine its form. This process is illustrated with several outstanding projects in reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, steel, timber and masonry focussing on the interaction of both concepts, the architectural and structural design.
