Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA
Architect: Frank Gehry, FAIA
Structural: John A. Martin & Associates Inc.
Photo: by Carol M. Highsmith
Art is a form of self expression. Every painting, photograph, sculpture, poem, prose, song, dance, all forms of art, exposes something about the artist. The medium is simply the vehicle by which the artist renders his or her unique perspective. Even a painting depicting a particular moment in history offers in some way, the biased view of the artist, interjecting his own opinion in the piece, making it his and only his. However, most people tend not to think about structural engineering in the same way.
They consider structural engineering as having a set of rules to follow, allowing little room for self expression. Certainly our profession is based on scientific facts and the laws of physics, but those are merely our tools, our brushes, our scalpels, our musical instruments with which we are able to create our own vision.
Structural engineers may be labeled as conservative or liberal. As opposed to the normal political meanings of the terms, conservative in this case is associated with overly cautious design, an entirely subjective view normally related to the cost of the structure. Likewise when an engineer is labeled as too liberal, it is associated with carelessness, again a subjective observation usually associated to a previous experience on the part of the person passing judgment. Rarely is the engineer afforded the same latitude that an artist is granted when expressing his views through his art.
Structural engineering is our art, and simply because we need to work within certain parameters does not imply that our work lacks our unique perception when arriving at a given solution. Like all other art forms our answers are open to interpretation and diverging opinions as they our undeniably our own. Just like the Mona Lisa is not just a painting, just like the Temple of Sagrada Familia is not just a church or the Venus de Milo just a sculpture, neither is the Golden Gate Bridge just a bridge or the Eiffel Tower just a tower.
Our work is often misunderstood or dismissed as the obscure inner workings of an architectural vision, thus negating its contribution to the realization of that vision. But in truth it is no different than an Architect’s design, often described as creative and unique. The structural system used in the Disney Theater in Los Angeles is no less singular than Frank Gehry’s signature design. The lack of visibility of our work should not serve as an excuse to deny its own artistic contribution.
Creativity brings added value, especially in structural engineering. Our thinking is not bound by the rules but rather enabled by them. An artist is not limited by his medium but rather spurred to express himself through it. Those set of rules, the laws of physics, are our medium and using that medium we are able to express ourselves in unique ways. We don’t view these rules as limits but rather tools with which we can create solutions. They are the tools with which we are able to practice the art of structural engineering.
Posted by Jesus Sierra, S.E., President
