MArch Master of Architecture Structural Systems in Architecture

Question 1

In a post-and-beam structural system, loads are transferred primarily through which mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Vertical compression and horizontal bending

Answer

Arching action

Answer

Tensile membrane action

Answer

Shear wall resistance

Question 2

What structural advantage does a triangulated truss offer over a solid beam of the same span and material volume?

Accepted Answer

Members in pure axial force (tension/compression) rather than bending

Answer

Greater flexibility under dynamic loads

Answer

Better resistance to lateral wind loads

Answer

Lower center of gravity

Question 3

In reinforced concrete design, steel reinforcement bars are strategically placed primarily to resist which type of stress that concrete alone cannot handle?

Accepted Answer

Tension

Answer

Compression

Answer

Shear only

Answer

Torsion only

Question 4

A shear wall in a building primarily resists which type of structural force?

Accepted Answer

Lateral forces from wind or seismic activity

Answer

Gravity dead loads from floors above

Answer

Upward hydrostatic pressure from groundwater

Answer

Point loads from concentrated equipment

Question 5

What is the primary structural behavior of a cable-stayed roof or bridge system?

Accepted Answer

Cables carry loads in pure tension, transferring them to masts and anchorages

Answer

Cables work in compression to push the deck upward

Answer

Cables act as rigid beams spanning between supports

Answer

Cables resist bending to distribute loads evenly

Question 6

In high-rise building design, a 'tube' structural system, as used in the original World Trade Center, works by:

Accepted Answer

Using the entire building perimeter as a large hollow tube to resist lateral loads

Answer

Placing all structure in a central core

Answer

Suspending floors from a central mast

Answer

Stacking discrete structural platforms at every tenth floor