Prof Laurens Luyten, Professor of Construction at KU Leuven Belgium gave a public lecture at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), on Thursday (26/10). The public lecture was organised by the Department of Architecture FTUI with the theme “Structural Understanding in Architectural Design”. It was attended by lecturers and students from the Department of Architecture FTUI.
Prof Laurens opened the public lecture by saying, “In architecture, structural design is an important aspect that ensures the stability, strength, and overall integrity of a building. Therefore, understanding and effectively applying structural design principles is essential for architects and engineers to create safe and functional structures.”
In structural design, several analyses of structural components, materials, and systems are involved to verify the performance and safety of the structure. In terms of structural design, an architect must also create a design resistant to elements such as gravity, wind, seismic activity, and other external forces.
“Structural design plays an important role in architecture as it supports the aesthetic vision of a building. It allows architects to create innovative and unique designs while upholding the safety and functionality of the structure. Generally, architects collaborate with structural engineers to translate their creative ideas into viable designs. Engineers usually provide valuable expertise in determining the structural requirements of the design, so that it can withstand the anticipated loads and forces. Without proper structural design, buildings will be prone to failure, thus jeopardising the safety of its occupants and the longevity of the structure itself,” added Prof Laurens.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU said, “Understanding and applying structural design principles are essential for architects and engineers to create structures that are safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. As future engineers, students from the Architecture discipline need to understand this to have the ability to understand and get success in becoming an architect.”
Prof Laurens Luyten has taught theoretical and studio courses on Structural Design since 1996 at the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture (former Sint-Lucas School of Architecture). For 17 years he collaborated as a structural engineer with various architects and was involved in almost 300 projects of public buildings, private residences, social housing and renovations.
He founded the BRIDGES research group, where he researches the concept of effective learning environments for architecture students to develop a deeper structural understanding, and study the field of structurally informed architectural design.
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia