Mark R. Cruvellier is the Nathaniel and Margaret Owings Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA. He teaches and conducts research in the area of structural form and behavior considered within the context of architecture; he is co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2011) with Bjørn N. Sandaker and Arne P. Eggen. Cruvellier is a professional structural engineer and has been involved in built projects from skyscrapers in New York City to wilderness footbridges in British Columbia. Bjørn N. Sandaker is Professor of Architectural Technology at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway, and Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. His particular academic interest focuses on the borderline between architecture and structural engineering; he is author of On Span and Space: Exploring Structures in Architecture (Routledge 2008) and co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge 2011).Luben Dimcheff is the Richard Meier Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA, where he teaches studio as well as courses that are focused on the visualization and analysis of space. He leads a design and architectural practice based in New York City with projects built internationally.

"Some books are treasure troves – ensembles of deep human experiential research – which need to be kept close to hand. This book is one such treasure. The combination of selected texts with the constructed models becomes the thoughtfully constructed intellectual structure within which to navigate these essential topics." - Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara, Grafton Architects"During the past decades, architecture has been dominated by an interest in expressive singular forms, often facilitated by computerized design and methods of calculation, novel material technologies, and robotic methods of production. The book Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture and Culture returns architectural thinking back to its tectonic principles and elementary syntax. It also emphasizes the essential cultural connectedness of the art of building; architectural meaning cannot be invented, as it is bound to reflect the human existential and mental reality. All true architectural meaning echoes tradition, and the most radical artistic innovations become part of this esteemed continuum of tradition." - Juhani Pallasmaa, architect, writer, professor emeritus, Helsinki University of Technology (Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture), Finland

• 1. Columns. Auguste Perret and the Concrete Column. Mies’ Columns: Barcelona and Beyond. Villa Mairea’s Columnar Variations. A Forest of Minimal Columns. The Sendai Mediatheque and its Tube-Columns. Model Studies. 2. Walls. Barragán’s Walls and Color. Inca Walls at Ollantaytambo. Schindler’s Metaphysical Walls. Ando’s Ephemeral Concrete Walls. The Sculpted Walls of Richard Serra. Model Studies. 3. Beams and Slabs. Arresting Cantilever Deflections. Nordic Pavilion - An Illuminating Beam Matrix. The Kimbell’s Beam Variations. The Iron and Steel Beam Evolves; Mies Follows Suit. Chinese Building Traditions Meet Modernism. Nervi’s Isostatically Inspired Ribbed Floors. Maillart Minimalism: The Flat Slab Emerges. Concrete Takes Flight. Floor Plate-Defined Façades. Model Studies. 4. Trusses. La Tour Eiffel : A Truss, and More... Truss Forms and Style Battles. Truss Forms and Design Collaborations. Neimeyer’s Subtly Deceptive Trusses. Metabolism and the Space Frame. Tensegrity and the Architecture of Life. Model Studies. 5. Frames. To Frame - or not to Frame... Framing Views, Framing Victory. Breuer and Nervi’s Folded Frames. Braced Frames and High-Tech Dreams. Informal Frames. Model Studies. 6. Cables, Nets and Membranes. Seemingly Free Form Structures in Montréal and Munich. Cybernetic and Lightweight Dreams. Stayed Roof Systems and High-Tech Identity. Jugaad : Suspending a Communal Canopy. Marsyas : Structure and Metaphor. Model Studies. 7. Arches, Domes and Shells. Informing Arch Form. Veiled and Vaulted Space. Domes as Optical Instruments. The Politics of Candela’s Shells. SANAA’s Ceilings and Skies. Model Studies. Afterword. Models are Real. A Model Curriculum. Index.

Mark R. Cruvellier is the Nathaniel and Margaret Owings Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA. He teaches and conducts research in the area of structural form and behavior considered within the context of architecture; he is co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2011) with Bjørn N. Sandaker and Arne P. Eggen. Cruvellier is a professional structural engineer and has been involved in built projects from skyscrapers in New York City to wilderness footbridges in British Columbia. Bjørn N. Sandaker is Professor of Architectural Technology at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway, and Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. His particular academic interest focuses on the borderline between architecture and structural engineering; he is author of On Span and Space: Exploring Structures in Architecture (Routledge 2008) and co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge 2011).Luben Dimcheff is the Richard Meier Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA, where he teaches studio as well as courses that are focused on the visualization and analysis of space. He leads a design and architectural practice based in New York City with projects built internationally.

"Some books are treasure troves – ensembles of deep human experiential research – which need to be kept close to hand. This book is one such treasure. The combination of selected texts with the constructed models becomes the thoughtfully constructed intellectual structure within which to navigate these essential topics." - Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara, Grafton Architects"During the past decades, architecture has been dominated by an interest in expressive singular forms, often facilitated by computerized design and methods of calculation, novel material technologies, and robotic methods of production. The book Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture and Culture returns architectural thinking back to its tectonic principles and elementary syntax. It also emphasizes the essential cultural connectedness of the art of building; architectural meaning cannot be invented, as it is bound to reflect the human existential and mental reality. All true architectural meaning echoes tradition, and the most radical artistic innovations become part of this esteemed continuum of tradition." - Juhani Pallasmaa, architect, writer, professor emeritus, Helsinki University of Technology (Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture), Finland

• 1. Columns. Auguste Perret and the Concrete Column. Mies’ Columns: Barcelona and Beyond. Villa Mairea’s Columnar Variations. A Forest of Minimal Columns. The Sendai Mediatheque and its Tube-Columns. Model Studies. 2. Walls. Barragán’s Walls and Color. Inca Walls at Ollantaytambo. Schindler’s Metaphysical Walls. Ando’s Ephemeral Concrete Walls. The Sculpted Walls of Richard Serra. Model Studies. 3. Beams and Slabs. Arresting Cantilever Deflections. Nordic Pavilion - An Illuminating Beam Matrix. The Kimbell’s Beam Variations. The Iron and Steel Beam Evolves; Mies Follows Suit. Chinese Building Traditions Meet Modernism. Nervi’s Isostatically Inspired Ribbed Floors. Maillart Minimalism: The Flat Slab Emerges. Concrete Takes Flight. Floor Plate-Defined Façades. Model Studies. 4. Trusses. La Tour Eiffel : A Truss, and More... Truss Forms and Style Battles. Truss Forms and Design Collaborations. Neimeyer’s Subtly Deceptive Trusses. Metabolism and the Space Frame. Tensegrity and the Architecture of Life. Model Studies. 5. Frames. To Frame - or not to Frame... Framing Views, Framing Victory. Breuer and Nervi’s Folded Frames. Braced Frames and High-Tech Dreams. Informal Frames. Model Studies. 6. Cables, Nets and Membranes. Seemingly Free Form Structures in Montréal and Munich. Cybernetic and Lightweight Dreams. Stayed Roof Systems and High-Tech Identity. Jugaad : Suspending a Communal Canopy. Marsyas : Structure and Metaphor. Model Studies. 7. Arches, Domes and Shells. Informing Arch Form. Veiled and Vaulted Space. Domes as Optical Instruments. The Politics of Candela’s Shells. SANAA’s Ceilings and Skies. Model Studies. Afterword. Models are Real. A Model Curriculum. Index.

Mark R. Cruvellier is the Nathaniel and Margaret Owings Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA. He teaches and conducts research in the area of structural form and behavior considered within the context of architecture; he is co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2011) with Bjørn N. Sandaker and Arne P. Eggen. Cruvellier is a professional structural engineer and has been involved in built projects from skyscrapers in New York City to wilderness footbridges in British Columbia. Bjørn N. Sandaker is Professor of Architectural Technology at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway, and Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. His particular academic interest focuses on the borderline between architecture and structural engineering; he is author of On Span and Space: Exploring Structures in Architecture (Routledge 2008) and co-author of The Structural Basis of Architecture, 2nd ed. (Routledge 2011).Luben Dimcheff is the Richard Meier Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at Cornell University, USA, where he teaches studio as well as courses that are focused on the visualization and analysis of space. He leads a design and architectural practice based in New York City with projects built internationally.

"Some books are treasure troves – ensembles of deep human experiential research – which need to be kept close to hand. This book is one such treasure. The combination of selected texts with the constructed models becomes the thoughtfully constructed intellectual structure within which to navigate these essential topics." - Yvonne Farrell + Shelley McNamara, Grafton Architects"During the past decades, architecture has been dominated by an interest in expressive singular forms, often facilitated by computerized design and methods of calculation, novel material technologies, and robotic methods of production. The book Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture and Culture returns architectural thinking back to its tectonic principles and elementary syntax. It also emphasizes the essential cultural connectedness of the art of building; architectural meaning cannot be invented, as it is bound to reflect the human existential and mental reality. All true architectural meaning echoes tradition, and the most radical artistic innovations become part of this esteemed continuum of tradition." - Juhani Pallasmaa, architect, writer, professor emeritus, Helsinki University of Technology (Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture), Finland

• 1. Columns. Auguste Perret and the Concrete Column. Mies’ Columns: Barcelona and Beyond. Villa Mairea’s Columnar Variations. A Forest of Minimal Columns. The Sendai Mediatheque and its Tube-Columns. Model Studies. 2. Walls. Barragán’s Walls and Color. Inca Walls at Ollantaytambo. Schindler’s Metaphysical Walls. Ando’s Ephemeral Concrete Walls. The Sculpted Walls of Richard Serra. Model Studies. 3. Beams and Slabs. Arresting Cantilever Deflections. Nordic Pavilion - An Illuminating Beam Matrix. The Kimbell’s Beam Variations. The Iron and Steel Beam Evolves; Mies Follows Suit. Chinese Building Traditions Meet Modernism. Nervi’s Isostatically Inspired Ribbed Floors. Maillart Minimalism: The Flat Slab Emerges. Concrete Takes Flight. Floor Plate-Defined Façades. Model Studies. 4. Trusses. La Tour Eiffel : A Truss, and More... Truss Forms and Style Battles. Truss Forms and Design Collaborations. Neimeyer’s Subtly Deceptive Trusses. Metabolism and the Space Frame. Tensegrity and the Architecture of Life. Model Studies. 5. Frames. To Frame - or not to Frame... Framing Views, Framing Victory. Breuer and Nervi’s Folded Frames. Braced Frames and High-Tech Dreams. Informal Frames. Model Studies. 6. Cables, Nets and Membranes. Seemingly Free Form Structures in Montréal and Munich. Cybernetic and Lightweight Dreams. Stayed Roof Systems and High-Tech Identity. Jugaad : Suspending a Communal Canopy. Marsyas : Structure and Metaphor. Model Studies. 7. Arches, Domes and Shells. Informing Arch Form. Veiled and Vaulted Space. Domes as Optical Instruments. The Politics of Candela’s Shells. SANAA’s Ceilings and Skies. Model Studies. Afterword. Models are Real. A Model Curriculum. Index.