4. Dwelling

We all need somewhere to live and work and a sense of belonging and community. How have modern buildings evolved from the first caves and primitive huts?’ What are the roles of architects and engineers? How have those two professions diverged? Can someone with no technical training, learn to look at a building or other structure and ‘read’ how it ‘stands up’ or works as a structure as well as appreciate its external aesthetic and architectural appearance? How do engineers understand and analyse how forces flow through a structure? What are some of the technical difficulties that engineers face, such as metal fatigue, wind and vibration? Can we continue to expect our buildings to be ‘as safe as houses’ when—as the stories of Ronan Point and Grenfell Towers illustrate—sometimes they fail? How do we avoid the type of progressive collapse that happened at Ronan Point?