Structural systems are one of the most fundamental areas of interest for architects and civil engineers. Since their existence, humans have dealt with and developed structural systems to shelter and sustain their lives. The structural systems applied by nomadic and settled tribes exhibited different characteristics. Viewed as architectural works, the remnants of developments based on the principle of masonry construction in human history have survived to the present day. Especially in the 20th century, technological developments gave new dimensions to structural systems, and new structural systems such as SHELL SYSTEMS, FOLDED PLATES, SPACE FRAME SYSTEMS, TENT AND PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS began to be widely used in architecture. Technologically advanced countries strive to emphasize their development in the construction sector and production by applying contemporary structural systems at world exhibitions.
This book primarily discusses the concept of structural systems in depth, evaluates classifications made with a general overview of structural systems, and exemplifies natural structures. Later, structural systems widely applied in the 20th century for spanning large openings or constructing larger and taller buildings are explained with principles and application examples. Each topic is covered under subheadings such as the historical development of the examined structural system, construction features, suitable materials, geometry, structural system principles, and application examples. By illustrating the derivation of general formulas for rotational surfaces and translational surfaces, designers are provided with the opportunity to easily determine geometric data. The last section includes examples from the works of architects who have left their mark on contemporary architecture in terms of technology in the last 30 years. It is hoped that with this information, contemporary structural systems will begin to be used more widely in our country.
Prof. Dr. H. Çetin TÜRKÇÜ
İzmir, 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 HISTORICAL PROCESS AND GENERAL CONCEPTS
CHAPTER 2 STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS AND CLASSIFICATION
CHAPTER 3 FOLDED PLATES
CHAPTER 4 GEOMETRY OF CURVED SURFACES
CHAPTER 5 THIN SHELL SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 6 LAMINATED (GLUED-LAMINATED) WOOD STRUCTURES
CHAPTER 7 CABLE SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 8 GENERAL PRINCIPLES IN MEMBRANE SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 9 OPEN MEMBRANE (TENT) SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 10 PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS - INFLATABLE SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 11 SPACE FRAME SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 12 CURVED SURFACE SPACE FRAME SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 13 HIGH-TECH ARCHITECTURE EXAMPLES
REFERENCES AND RELATED PUBLICATIONS