Originally Posted by cdcox (Post 7889632)

Let me elaborate on what epitome1170 has said.

I am the lead academic advisor in our department. A few students every year do a dual degree in architecture and civil engineering. We give architects credit for about 5 hours of structural engineering. Our undergrads that do not specialize in structural engineering take least 3 additional hours in structures. So an engineer who has no interest at all in structures will know more about what makes a building stand up or fall down than an architect. Students who graduate with some specialization in structural engineering at the BS level will take at least 9 more hours than an architecture student. But to really know structural engineering, you would get an MS degree and take additional 30 hours of structural engineering classes, beyond the BS level. At that point you are comparing a lawyer to someone who has take a business law class.

Originally Posted by Setsuna (Post 7889393)

Wow this is great. Architecture is my major. I never thought to look at failures to learn from. That's learning 101 I know. I'm special at times. Thanks for this. If anyone can post some more I'd be obliged.

Originally Posted by cdcox (Post 7889398)

Someone needs to learn the difference between an engineer and an architect.

An architect draws a pretty picture of a bridge or a building. It's up to the engineer to make it work or to tell the architect to get real. These are all engineering failures. But cutting edge designs and the resulting failures is one of the ways that engineering knowledge advances.

Originally Posted by Stewie (Post 7889681)

How is designing a curved hotel that focuses the sun on the swimming pool area an engineering failure?

Originally Posted by Jenson71 (Post 7889624)

I gotta say, there is often nothing more inspiring than a monumental building symbolizing the achievements of human industrial and commercial aptitude.

And I'm amazed at some of the road systems people put together. The clover highways, underpasses, ramps, molding together to create the grid we rely on for transportation in commerce and leisure.

Originally Posted by Setsuna (Post 7889703)

I know I have to take physics I & II w/ Calculus. And Structures, so I think we do need to learn something.

Originally Posted by ForeverChiefs58 (Post 7889707)

Yes, the Grandview triangle was always a head scratcher. Amazing that someone looked at that on paper and thought that would be a good idea and not a total cluster ****.

Originally Posted by epitome1170 (Post 7889710)

No one is saying that you don't learn something... or aren't important to society for that matter.

As cdcox put before, you are taking A structure class... not years of it so there is no way that you will know enough of it to be a competent structural engineer... and you don't need to be that's why you hire guys like me for your design team.

Originally Posted by Setsuna (Post 7889713)

Haha alright. I bet you make a lot. How much did you make starting out?

Originally Posted by Setsuna (Post 7889713)

Haha alright. I bet you make a lot. How much did you make starting out?

Originally Posted by Frankie (Post 7889432)

These are ENGINEERING failures, not Architectural ones.

Originally Posted by cdcox (Post 7889398)

Someone needs to learn the difference between an engineer and an architect.

An architect draws a pretty picture of a bridge or a building. It's up to the engineer to make it work or to tell the architect to get real. These are all engineering failures. But cutting edge designs and the resulting failures is one of the ways that engineering knowledge advances.

Originally Posted by Amnorix (Post 7889580)

errr....no. Architects need to understand load capacity and all that sciency-building stuff too.


EDIT: Let me qualify my statement -- I understand that architects are not PEs and do not have the same degree of knowledge as, say, a Civil Engineer would have for building materials, etc. But they are supposed to have some knowledge on these matters as well in order to create realistic designs. Some of the examples given -- in particular the bridge in Tacoma, would seem to be more of an engineer failing than an architectural one, definitely.

Originally Posted by epitome1170 (Post 7889614)

:thumb:

Just trying to teach the world the finer points of my industry.