Description

How Structures Work: Design and Behaviour from Bridges to Buildings

How Structures Work: Design and Behaviour from Bridges to Buildings — Third Edition

David Yeomans

Structural engineering is at the heart of every successful building and infrastructure project. A structure must withstand countless forces—from the weight of its own materials and the people who use it to environmental pressures such as wind, movement, and changing loads. Understanding how structures respond to these forces is essential for creating safe, stable, and efficient designs.

The relationship between architecture and structural engineering is therefore fundamental to the way we design and construct the world around us. However, structural concepts are often presented through complex mathematics, making them difficult for many architects, surveyors, and non-specialists to grasp.

In How Structures Work, David Yeomans provides a clear and accessible explanation of structural behaviour without relying on advanced mathematical formulas. Instead, the book focuses on helping readers develop an intuitive understanding of how structures function, why certain designs succeed, and how different forms respond to the challenges placed upon them.

This practical guide is ideal for students of architecture, architectural history, building surveying, and civil engineering, as well as professionals and anyone interested in understanding the principles behind the buildings and structures that shape our environment. Its straightforward approach makes complex ideas easy to follow for readers without a technical background.

The third edition has been updated with a new chapter exploring unusual and often misunderstood structures from both the ancient world and modern times, offering fresh insights into the creativity and engineering principles behind remarkable designs.

Praise for the first edition:

“How Structures Work is the most compelling book on structures that I have ever read. And I have read a lot of books on structures.”
— R. L. Brungraber, Ph.D., P.E., Timber Framing: Journal of the Timber Framers Guild

“The author writes beautifully. It is a user-friendly, engaging book to read and one that is very easy to understand. One learns a lot by reading it … I think it should be a compulsory text for all first-year engineering students.”

— Review commissioned by the publisher

Whether you are designing buildings, studying engineering, or simply curious about the hidden forces that keep bridges standing and structures stable, How Structures Work offers an engaging introduction to the fascinating world of structural design and behaviour.