The course aims at providing both knowledge and sensitivity about the design procedures for the most common structural elements. A preliminary requirement for this is given by the knowledge of equilibrium conditions for the analysis of load propagation through structural systems; it is also assumed that the basic concepts from structural mechanics are known, in terms of stress and deformation states in the construction materials and simple structural elements. In this course, the principal construction typologies are presented with reference to common structural materials; after introducing the rules for the definition of the design actions, the methodologies in use for the safety verification of common structural elements are discussed. The expected learning objective has to do with the capability of defining the required size for structural elements under the effect of design load conditions; steel and reinforced concrete are the basic reference materials. It is also expected that students acquire simple design criteria for the choice of suitable dimensions for the structural elements, with a degree of sensitivity towards typical dimensional values. The computational tools developed in the course are subsequently applied in design studios to the analysis of complex architectural systems.

According to the Dublin Descriptors (DdD), passing the exam certifies the acquisition of the following results:

DdD 1 knowledge and understanding

- knowledge of the tools useful for the conception of the structural schemes and the dimensioning of the structural elements.

DdD 2 ability to apply knowledge and understanding

- ability to define structural schemes and dimensioning of structural elements.

DdD 3 (autonomy of judgment), 4 (communication skills) and 5 (learning ability)

- ability to make design choices independently (DdD 3 and 5).

General overview

The course provides students with the skills for the definition of a structural concept and the design of the elements that are part of it, based on the main construction materials nowadays used, including reinforced concrete and steel. The course will address the following topics: definition of the loads acting on the structures; beam theory and force method for the calculation of statically indeterminate structures, calculation of internal forces and stresses; design and verification of the structural elements and connections. The statistical characterization of the variables involved will also be shown. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide students with the knowledge needed to develop a project also from a structural point of view.

The aim of the course is to provide the students with the knowledge and understanding skills needed for the design of both reinforced concrete and steel structures, as well as for making the appropriate choices of the main structural elements to be adopted in Architecture design. Both simple structural elements and multi-storey buildings will be dealt with and the problems related to the connection of structural elements emphasized. Eurocode 2 and 3 will be adopted as reference codes for the design of reinforced concrete and steel structures, respectively.

Specifically, the following topics will be addressed:

1. Instability of compressed members;

2. Concrete and steel as structural materials: mechanical material properties and their characterization;

3. Structural concept most adopted for reinforced concrete and steel structures;

4. Loads acting on the structures and their combinations;

5. Design of structural elements, for both reinforced concrete and steel structures, under axial, shear, bending and combined axial-shear-bending loading conditions.

Course specific prerequisites: a basic knowledge of mechanics of materials and especially of statically determinate and indeterminate structural systems and sectional analysis is required. However, a quick recall on some basic knowledge will be provided at the beginning of course.

The students, either having attended the Course or not, will receive the assessment through a project work and a final oral exam, with the overall score being a weighted average of these two contributions.

The project work, defined in agreement with the responsible of the Course and possibly developed during the attendance of the Course, is mainly aimed at verifying the communication and learning skills as well as the ability of the student in making judgements. The project work should be delivered before the final oral exam. The final oral exam, including both numerical exercises and theoretical queries, has the objective of assessing the knowledge and understanding of the Course contents and the related application skills.