MArch Master of Architecture Structural Systems in Architecture 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a post-and-beam structural system, loads are transferred primarily through which mechanism?
- Arching action
- Vertical compression and horizontal bending (Correct answer)
- Tensile membrane action
- Shear wall resistance
Correct answer: Vertical compression and horizontal bending
Post-and-beam (trabeated) systems transfer loads through vertical compression in posts and bending (flexure) in horizontal beams.
Question 2: What structural advantage does a triangulated truss offer over a solid beam of the same span and material volume?
- Greater flexibility under dynamic loads
- Members in pure axial force (tension/compression) rather than bending (Correct answer)
- Better resistance to lateral wind loads
- Lower center of gravity
Correct answer: Members in pure axial force (tension/compression) rather than bending
A truss converts bending moments into axial forces in its individual members, allowing material to work more efficiently in pure tension or compression.
Question 3: In reinforced concrete design, steel reinforcement bars are strategically placed primarily to resist which type of stress that concrete alone cannot handle?
- Compression
- Tension (Correct answer)
- Shear only
- Torsion only
Correct answer: Tension
Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, so steel rebar is placed in the tensile zones of beams, slabs, and columns to carry tensile forces.
Question 4: A shear wall in a building primarily resists which type of structural force?
- Gravity dead loads from floors above
- Lateral forces from wind or seismic activity (Correct answer)
- Upward hydrostatic pressure from groundwater
- Point loads from concentrated equipment
Correct answer: Lateral forces from wind or seismic activity
Shear walls are stiff, planar structural elements designed to resist lateral forces such as wind loads and seismic forces that act horizontally on a building.
Question 5: What is the primary structural behavior of a cable-stayed roof or bridge system?
- Cables work in compression to push the deck upward
- Cables carry loads in pure tension, transferring them to masts and anchorages (Correct answer)
- Cables act as rigid beams spanning between supports
- Cables resist bending to distribute loads evenly
Correct answer: Cables carry loads in pure tension, transferring them to masts and anchorages
Cables can only resist tension, and in cable-stayed systems all loads are converted into tensile forces transferred along the cables to vertical masts and foundation anchorages.
Question 6: In high-rise building design, a 'tube' structural system, as used in the original World Trade Center, works by:
- Placing all structure in a central core
- Using the entire building perimeter as a large hollow tube to resist lateral loads (Correct answer)
- Suspending floors from a central mast
- Stacking discrete structural platforms at every tenth floor
Correct answer: Using the entire building perimeter as a large hollow tube to resist lateral loads
The framed tube system treats the perimeter of the building as a hollow tube with closely spaced columns, efficiently resisting lateral wind and seismic loads.
MArch Master of Architecture Structural Systems in Architecture 1
In a post-and-beam structural system, loads are transferred primarily through which mechanism?