The Influence of Structures Syllabus in Architectural Education in the Integration between Architects and Structural Engineers

Abstract

The integration level between architects and structural engineers in practice is perceived as very low in terms of integration to enrich the architectural value. This research aims at investigating the role of structures syllabus design and teaching methods on the integration between architects and structural engineers in both education and practice.
A combination of qualitative research methods is used to investigate this issue, including questionnaires and structured interviews conducted at the Faculty of the Architecture (FoA), University of Khartoum (U of K), as a case study. The survey questions involved a combination of close-ended questions; multi-choice and ranking questions to be answered in an ordinal
scale in a form of a five-point Likert-scale. The research findings suggest that the teaching methods of structures in architectural education contribute to the disintegration and lack of collaboration between architects and structural engineers in both education and practice. The study suggests that implementing architectural-based approaches in teaching structures may lead to the improved integration between architects and structural engineers.