Structural Stability & Building Types: A Comprehensive Reference

Understanding Structural Stability and Types of Structures

Stable structures are those that, when a force is applied to them, maintain their stability. Unstable structures, conversely, lose their balance with a small push.

Structural Profiles: Balancing Resistance, Speed, and Cost

Achieving structures that are resistant, quick to build, and cost-effective simultaneously presents a design challenge. Structural profiles play a crucial role in this balance.

• Open Profiles: Common shapes include V, T, U, L, X, and H.
• Closed Profiles: Examples include O-shaped, square, and other enclosed forms.

Types of Artificial Structures

Massive Structures

Characterized by a predominant concentration of material throughout their volume, providing strength through sheer mass.

Vaulted Structures

These structures predominantly feature arches, domes, vaults, and their supporting elements, distributing loads through compression.

Framing Structures

Formed by a crisscrossing set of interconnected elements such as wooden profiles, concrete, or steel. These structures typically consist of beams, columns, and foundations, transferring loads through a rigid framework.

Triangulated Structures

Composed of many interconnected triangles, forming rigid networks in space or on a plane. Trusses are a common example of triangulated structures.

Suspension Structures

Supported by cables or profiles attached to supporting elements, where tensile forces are the primary load-bearing mechanism.

Other Specialized Structures

Pneumatic Structures

These are inflatable, lightweight, and often removable structures, designed to withstand tensile forces when pressurized.

Laminar Structures

Characterized by being formed from thin sheets of material where structural elements, like ribs or nerves, traverse the structure or part of the surface with increased thickness, providing rigidity.

Geodesic Structures

Spatial networks formed by the union of pentagons and hexagons, creating highly efficient and strong dome-like or spherical forms.

Essential Structural Vocabulary

Abutment

A support structure, often an arch, that rests on one side on a foundation and on the other on a vault or dome, counteracting its weight.

Arch

A curved structural element that spans an opening, typically supporting weight above it and transferring the load to columns or walls.

Beam

A horizontal structural element, typically bar-shaped, designed to support vertical loads by resisting bending.

Bridge

A structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a river, valley, or road, providing passage over it.

Buttress

A projecting support built against a wall to provide additional strength or stability.

Column

A vertical structural element, often cylindrical, serving as a support or for embellishment in construction.

Concrete

A composite material made from a mixture of water, aggregate (stone, gravel), and cement, which hardens over time to a stone-like consistency, taking the shape of the mold it fills.

Dome

A rounded vault forming the roof of a building or structure, typically hemispherical or similar in shape.

Gusset Plate

A triangular or other shaped plate used to connect and reinforce structural members, often found in trusses.

Lattice

A framework or structure made of interwoven or crisscrossed strips of wood, metal, or other material.

Lintel

A horizontal structural beam of stone, concrete, or wood that spans an opening, such as a doorway or window, supporting the wall above.

Mortar

A mixture of lime, sand, and water, used as a binding agent in masonry work.

Pillar

A vertical structural element, typically freestanding, that supports another element of a structure.

Reinforced Concrete

Concrete that has steel rods or mesh embedded within it to enhance its tensile strength and ductility.

Span

The horizontal distance between two supports of a structure, such as a beam or an arch.

Structure

An organized assembly of interconnected parts designed to support a load, such as a bridge, building, or any physical body.

Tie Rod

An elongated structural element designed to resist tensile forces.

Truss

A structural framework, typically composed of interconnected elements (often metal profiles) forming a triangulated system, designed to support loads.

Vault

A curved architectural ceiling or roof structure, commonly used to cover a space between two pillars or walls.

Viaduct

A long bridge-like structure, often consisting of a series of arches or spans, built to carry a road or railway over a valley or other obstruction.