Architect Frei Otto, a pioneer in lightweight tensile structures, died on March 9 at age 89, soon after he learned he had won the prestigious 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Otto, born in Siegmar, ...

Let us return to the first architecture class on structures and the classification of structural efforts. In most structures, whether natural or man-made, compression forces are the primary actors.

Much before humans constructed their first permanent shelters, they discovered the protective power of animal hides as a barrier against harsh environmental conditions. This fundamental principle of ...