The Art of Structural Design : A Swiss Legacy

An exploration of the outstanding work of four Swiss engineers and their teachers who form an impressive group of structural artists in the 20th century: Wilhelm Ritter (1847-1906); Robert Maillart (1872-1940); Othmar Ammann (1879-1965); Pierre Lardy (1902-1956); Heinz Isler (b. 1926); and Christian Menn (b. 1927). David Billington, who has written widely on these engineers, argues that it is important to consider them as artists, for aesthetics played a major role in their design philosophy. He explains that their shared approach to design was developed while they attended the Federal Technological Institute in Zurich: Maillart and Amman studied with Ritter there, and Isler and Menn studied under Lardy. Billington focuses on the engineers' artistic approach to bridge design and construction, and he discusses their impressive individual contributions to structural engineering. This volume features many newly commissioned photographs, including images of important new structures such as the Charles River Bridge in Boston, completed by Menn in 2002.