structures and why things don t fall down

These loads are typically dictated by the building’s occupancy type. They can be uniformly distributed over a large area, such as a large piece of machinery, or concentrated over a small area. Live loads include anything but the self-weight of the building, such as, occupants, furniture, and equipment. Despite these loads’ permanent nature, engineers apply a safety factor to account for future modifications that may add weight to the structure. Engineers determine these loads by calculating the building’s materials’ weight and quantity.īecause structural elements seldom undergo major changes after completion, dead loads are static. This category of loads includes dead and live loads.ĭead loads are the weight of the structure and the building’s built-in components. To stay upright, a building must be able to resist gravity loads, as well as loads imposed by the forces of nature.Ī structure’s resistance to gravity loads prevents it from collapsing under its weight and that of its occupants. To understand how a building stands up, we should know all the forces, or loads, that act against it. Have you ever wondered how buildings are designed?įrom a structural engineer’s perspective, a building is a load managing mechanism.

Buildings can do all of this thanks to the work of engineers who design them. Today, we can count on buildings to shelter us from various weather conditions and natural disasters.

Over millennia, their designs evolved from basic gravity-resisting structures to the virtually indestructible skyscrapers that make up the skylines of modern cities. All over the world, buildings have become a natural part of the landscape.

Structures and why things don t fall down