Tragsysteme/Structure Systems

By Heino Engel and Heinrich Engels

Book Overview

Back in print--the standard work on Heino Engel's structure systems. The hundreds of drawings and photographs reproduced in this hardback volume offer almost endless variations on the many structural systems that can keep buildings together: within a few pages of one another, tents, domes and cubes are shown supported by poles, cables, ribs, rafters and beams. Engel's presentation and explanation of this highly complex material differs fundamentally from others' work on the subject in that he focuses entirely upon the functions and design effects of these mechanisms, without regard for technical details: More than an engineering text, this is a catalogue of ideas and forms for architects and dreamers, a David Macaulay book for adults. Structure Systems skips over more commonly treated special designs and completed buildings for typical, representative and surprising shapes. As a reference work or daydream material, it is an indispensable repertoire of forms.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3775718761
• ISBN13: 9783775718769
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Hatje Cantz
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 4.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 8.8" x 12.1"

Customer Reviews

the most important structures book for architects

This is ASTRONOMICALLY THE BEST architectural structures book of all time!! This is the second book for a serious architecture student or architect to buy after Deplazes' foundation book. My structures education was so frustrating because it was not VISUAL. I longed for a book like this 20 years ago!! But better than I could have ever imagined, this book is intensely visual, almost no numbers, instead an encyclopedic catalogue of structural spanning options in a maniacally ordered logic, drawn with a sweet German version of Ching's style. Just skimming this book several times will aquaint you with the logic, the systems, the options, and the breathtaking possibilities this great book throws at your feet. "Take that", it says, "and go do something great!"

a great structure index for architect

This is almost the only graphically illustrated book on structural principles for architect. Most of the structure book concentrate on calculation which are more important to structural engineer than to architect. However, this book put emphasis on structural principals and structural typology. The author uses very clear drawn illustration + table + text to illustrate different structural types. This is a helpful resources if readers are architects interesting in structural design. The book could be more complete if real building examples are illustrated together with the diagrams.