IV Int. Conference on Structural Engineering Education Structural Engineering Education Without Borders June 20–22 2018, Madrid, Spain 1/10 “CONSTRUCTING EQUILIBRIUM”: A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO TEACH STRUCTURAL DESIGN IN ARCHITECTURE Maria VRONTISSI Dipl.Arch., MDesS, Dr.Sc. ETH Zurich Ass. Professor Univ. of Thessaly vrontissi@arch.ethz.ch Juan José CASTELLÓN GONZÁLEZ Dipl.Arch., MArch, Dr.Sc. ETH Zurich Lecturer ETH Zurich castellon@arch.ethz.ch Pierluigi D’ACUNTO Dipl.Ing.-Arch., MArch Lecturer, Doctoral Candidate ETH Zurich dacunto@arch.ethz.ch Lluís ENRIQUE MONZÓ Dipl.Arch., MArch, Dr.Sc. ETH Zurich Lecturer ETH Zurich enrique@arch.ethz.ch Joseph SCHWARTZ Dipl.Bauing., Dr.Sc. ETH Zurich Professor ETH Zurich schwartz@arch.ethz.ch ABSTRACT In recent years, a renewed interest in structural matters and interdisciplinarity has risen, bringing forward challenges in professional and academic practices. The present work seeks to contribute to this discussion by unfolding a conscious proposition as implemented by the Chair of Structural Design at the Department of Architecture of ETH Zurich. Founded on the intrinsic features of architectural education, the “Constructing Equilibrium” second-year structural design exercise shifts the focus to the synthetic aspect and the conceptual component of structural education. The exploration of the structural concept is introduced as a playful activity of a qualitative nature, based on an intuitive understanding of structural performance in three-dimensional space, informed by the interaction with material constructs in an interplay between the concrete and the abstract. KEYWORDS: structure, structural concept, structural design, structural education, architectural design, architectural education, physical model, teaching methods, trans-disciplinarity. 1. The prevailing paradigm: a bifold model The creative input in structural matters has been identified and acknowledged as a decisive parameter of exemplary designs across the history of building structures [1-2]. Introduced by Billington in 1983, the term structural art has been explicitly coined to discern works of structural design excellence, where economy, efficiency and elegance come together in ingenious ways [3].