By: Jim D’Aloisio, PE; Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt - jad@khhpc.com
A variety of different types of structural building systems have been used over the years, only to eventually fall out of favor. Today, most building construction is confined to a very narrow range of archetypes that are tried and true and leave little room for innovation. We’ll revisit some old structural concepts that are no longer used, and some that are barely remembered. Examples include foundations, floor slabs, walls and long-span roof systems, including some schemes that are remarkably frugal with materials and resources. Maybe some of these strategies are worth revisiting, in this era of awareness of the need to reduce embodied carbon from our structures. For each concept, we’ll consider the pros and cons from a structural engineer’s perspective, in some cases trace the lineage of the idea to systems that are currently in use and explore the reasons why the abandoned ideas didn’t survive to the present day.