Education on Structural Glass Design: Redefining glass through the design of innovative, full-glass structures.

In many famous architectural works, it is the structure and materiality of the building that manifest the project’s innovation. In such works, the structural system of the building becomes the primary form of expression. Ergo, the ability to understand the principles of structural engineering and design, and the motivation to experiment with new types of structures and materials are invaluable assets for both architects and structural engineers. Towards this goal, a series of elective courses (Shell structures, Glass structures, Bridge Design) have been integrated in the curriculum of the MSc of Building Technology at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (BK) and of the MSc of Building Engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CiTG) at TU Delft. Aim is to bridge the gap between architects and structural engineers. Each of these courses lasts 10 weeks and focuses on the design, engineering, calculation and materialization of a different type of structure. This paper will discuss the set-up, learning objectives, methodology and output of the “Technoledge-Glass Structures”(BK) and the “Structural Glass” (CiTG) courses. Aim of these parallel courses is to effectively teach students, of both architectural and civil engineering backgrounds, how to design, engineer and evaluate the behaviour of structures made entirely out of glass elements and how to tackle problems related to the practical aspects of a construction.