Structural Expressions in Masonry 2.0

Structural design and space making can be considered to be two lines of a railway track; parallel yet never intersecting. One cannot exist without the other. The growing gap between the two in today’s structural as well as architectural practices is what was addressed in this course with the help of masonry systems. Drawing inspiration from master buildings which have successfully woven together with the matrix between space and structures in masonry; we understood the meanings of ‘language of a structure’ and its significance in not only structural design but also in space making. Masonry construction is synonymous with the low to medium-rise buildings because of its low-cost material, environmental insulation and rigid vertical and lateral load resistance in India. Changing the perception of load bearing structures from being bulky to being lighter and flexible in nature was one of the key inferences of the studio. The idea of an infill being only a non-structural material, to playing an important role in providing overall structural stability to the system was another learning outcome from this studio.