ABSTRACT
Selecting an appropriate structural system for a project is one of the earliest and most fundamental collaborative decisions by an architect and structural engineer. Some projects have their structural system concealed, some have it expressed, and some have it celebrated. Whatever the structural system may be, the structural design of any particular individual member simply means the selection of an appropriate material and cross sectional shape to safely and economically resist the loads.
The removal of a bearing wall in a house is given as an example of this statement along with various options from which a designer must use judgment and experience to reach a decision. Ultimately the designer must evaluate the key properties of a member that will provide the strength to safely and economically carry the anticipated loads.
