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Architecture stands at the intersection of art and engineering. Visual conceptions and technological forces reverberate and merge, shaping the built environment. The tension between the possible and the practical produces great works of architecture.

The practice of engineering encompasses more than just technical knowledge. The engineering design of bridges, buildings, and other large-scale structures requires imagination and creativity. Architecture is greater than either art or engineering—it requires the synthesis of both to transform ideas into a physical reality.

Great works of architecture succeed on multiple levels—the scientific, the symbolic, and the social. Understanding architecture requires examination of the interplay between science, technology, and society. Shaped by society and in turn shaping society, significant monuments crystallize that complex interplay.

Similarly, the development of engineering knowledge cannot be isolated from the influences of society. Although often assumed to be just the application of scientific knowledge, engineering is also a creative activity that requires skills beyond the technical. In much the same way architectural design, often understood as artistic inspiration, is grounded in technological practicalities.

The built environment is a unique combination of art and engineering. There is, nevertheless, a widely held view that engineering and artistic design are distinct disciplines with little or no commonality. The speakers in this series will challenge this notion by exploring many of the ways engineering technologies and design practices work in the creation, preservation, and understanding of architecture. Companion films will offer familial perspectives into the nature and price that may attend just such architectural visions.

Faculty Coordinators:
Mary Brantl, Art & Art History
Stephen Buonopane, Civil &
Environmental Engineering
Janice Mann, Art & Art History