Understanding the World's Greatest Structures: Science and Innovation from Antiquity to Modernity

Course No. 1153

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Course Overview

Your world is filled with structures that have stood the test of time. That give character to the cities and landscapes in which they’re located. That are visited by millions of people each year. And that capture our wonder for the marvels of engineering innovation and progress. But while structures such as the Giza pyramids, Brunelleschi’s dome, and the Brooklyn Bridge are visual spectacles in and of themselves, they are just as important for the way they were designed as for the way they look.

Now, experience the engineering genius that makes these works possible with Understanding the World’s Greatest Structures: Science and Innovation from Antiquity to Modernity—a marvelous learning experience that takes you around the world and reveals the stories behind the most famous structures from thousands of years of history. Delivered by award-winning Professor Stephen Ressler of the United States Military Academy at West Point, a civil engineer and a nationally honored leader in engineering education, these 24 lectures take you on a fascinating and richly illustrated tour that deftly blends history and science to create an unforgettable survey of our world’s most remarkable structural masterpieces.

Embark on a Whirlwind Tour of Great Structures

You spend the first few lectures delving into the scientific principles that govern six basic types of structural elements; the building blocks that compose nearly all of the world’s structures, from arches to columns to cables.

Once you’ve mastered how these and other elements work, you embark on a whirlwind tour of more than 150 great structures that takes you from the deserts of ancient Egypt to the skyscraper race of early 20^th-century New York to the inventiveness of postmodern architecture. You’ll learn new insights into some of civilization’s most impressive buildings, bridges, and towers.

Parthenon: While known for its perfect proportions and architectural refinements, the Parthenon is actually a rather unsophisticated structural design—especially in its use of interior colonnades to support the roof.
Eiffel Tower: The Eiffel Tower is composed of iron bars arranged in interconnected triangles called trusses that can reach great heights with many small elements and allow for versatility of form.
Brooklyn Bridge: The four main cables of this suspension bridge are central to its ability to span the East River in New York City. Each of these cables is built up from over 5,000 steel wires.

Understanding the World’s Greatest Structures also considers structures that, while perhaps less familiar or more recent, are just as important to fully grasping the intricacy of structural engineering. These include Switzerland’s Salginatobel Bridge and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Learn from Educational Expertise and Dynamic 3-D Models

Professor Ressler’s work and his dedication to engineering education have won him numerous national awards, including the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Outstanding Projects and Leaders Award—the organization’s highest honor. He brings this same award-winning knowledge and dedication to every lecture of Understanding the World’s Greatest Structures. Couple this with the stunning 3-D animations that re-create and allow you to take apart individual pieces of great structures, and you have an engaging learning experience that will change the way you think about the buildings around you.

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24 lectures

| 31 minutes each

Year Released: 2011

1

Learning to See and Understand Structure

How are ideas for buildings, bridges, and towers transformed from sketches to concrete reality? What are the three essential qualities that make a structure great? What's the difference between seeing a structure and actually understanding it? Discover the answers to these and other questions in this introductory lecture. x
2

The Science of Structure—Forces in Balance

Explore how two types of external forces—loads (forces applied to structures) and reactions (forces developed at supports, in response to applied loads)—act on structures such as Kansas City's Chouteau Bridge. Also, learn how these forces are related to the most important concept in engineering mechanics: equilibrium. x
3

Internal Forces, Stress, and Strength

Use the Simple Tension Test (pulling on a structural element until it reaches the breaking point) as a gateway to understanding the concepts of internal force, stress, and strength. Then, see these concepts at work in structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Athens' Olympic Velodrome. x
4

From Wood to Steel—Properties of Materials

Materials profoundly influence the form, function, and structure of great buildings, bridges, and towers. Using steel (which is superior in terms of strength, ductility, and stiffness) as a benchmark, compare the structural properties of wood, masonry, concrete, and iron—and see them at work in thousands of years' worth of structures. x
5

Building Up—Columns and Buckling

One of the most potent human aspirations supported by engineering is to build up. Learn how this has been done from antiquity to the present with columns—structural members that carry load primarily in compression. You'll also learn about buckling: the often catastrophic stability failure that occurs in columns with certain geometric characteristics. x
6

Building Across—Beams and Bending

Beams, combining tension and compression, are central to the second aspiration supported by engineering: building across long distances. As you survey beams from the primitive lintel over the Lion Gate at Mycenae to Norway's Raftsundet Bridge, you'll investigate scientific developments and transform your understanding of what makes this structural element possible. x
7

Trusses—The Power of the Triangle

Trusses, the subject of this fascinating lecture, are rigid frameworks composed of structural members connected at joints and arranged into networks of triangles. Learn how they work to stabilize and support a range of structural wonders, including the Brooklyn Bridge and—most famously—the Eiffel Tower. x
8

Cables and Arches—The Power of the Parabola

In this lecture, Professor Ressler introduces you to two final structural elements: cables and arches. The Saint Louis Gateway Arch and the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge are just two examples of breathtaking structural features that also have extensive, occasionally surprising, parallels. x
9

Loads and Structural Systems

Structures are heavily influenced by the loads they're designed to carry. First, take a closer look at the most important loads structures must resist, including traffic loads and earthquake loads. Then, using the historic iron building at Watervliet Arsenal in New York, analyze how loads are actually transmitted through structural systems along load paths. x
10

Egypt and Greece—Pyramids to the Parthenon

Embark on your tour of different types of structures from around the world and across time. Your first stop: ancient Egypt, and the surprisingly complex engineering of pyramids, including the Great and Red pyramids. Your second stop: ancient Greece, where you visit the domed Treasury of Atreus and break down the structural system of the Parthenon. x
11

The Glory of Rome in Arches and Vaults

Learn why the arch is the principal structural feature of ancient Rome. Your detailed case studies range from simple bridges such as the Pont St. Martin and triumphal arches such as the Arch of Titus to massive aqueducts like the Pont du Gard and majestic public spaces like the Baths of Caracalla. x
12

The Rise and Fall of the Gothic Cathedral

Gothic cathedrals are lasting testaments to the power of a series of sweeping architectural developments in medieval Europe. After examining the roots of Gothic cathedrals in their Romanesque predecessors, focus on several structural innovations—including flying buttresses and pointed arches—at work in places such as France's Chartres Cathedral. x

13

Three Great Domes—Rome to the Renaissance

Trace the dome's evolution from the 1st century A.D. to the Renaissance. It's a journey reflected in the increasingly sophisticated domes of three great structures: the ancient Roman Pantheon, the Byzantine-era basilica of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and the Renaissance-era dome over the Florence cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. x
14

How Iron and Science Transformed Arch Bridges

Examine the development of arched bridges during and after the Industrial Revolution. See how the revolutionary Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale paved the way for the development of science-based engineering. Also, see how science contributed to increasingly sophisticated modern bridges such as Spain's Campo Volantin Bridge. x
15

Suspension Bridges—The Battle of the Cable

After learning the science behind suspension bridges, begin your two-lecture look at these structural marvels. Here, relive the "Battle of the Cable," in which 19th-century engineers struggled over whether to build suspension cables from iron chains (as in England's Menai Strait Bridge) or steel wire (as in the Brooklyn Bridge). x
16

Suspension Bridges—The Challenge of Wind

In July 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge dramatically collapsed in a steady 42-mph wind. In this concluding lecture on suspension bridges, focus on how the Brooklyn Bridge, the Severn Bridge, and other bridges were designed to combat the second great challenge of these record-breaking bridges: their vulnerability to wind-induced vibrations. x
17

Great Cantilever Bridges—Tragedy and Triumph

Professor Ressler shows how structural catastrophes produced two bridges that provide a wonderful opportunity to see and understand structure: Scotland's Firth of Forth Bridge and Canada's second Quebec Bridge. You'll also gain insights into the human element of engineering, and the reasons structures turn out the way they do. x
18

The Rise of Iron- and Steel-Framed Buildings

How did iron and steel revolutionize building design? Find out in this trip back to late 18th- and early 19th-century Europe and America, where iron-framed structures—such as sheds at England's Chatham Dockyard, New York City's Equitable Life Insurance Building, and Chicago's First Leiter Building—would set the stage for modern skyscrapers. x
19

The Great Skyscraper Race

The human aspiration to build upward reaches its climax with the skyscraper. Learn the story behind America's "great skyscraper race" and the increasingly sophisticated buildings it produced. Among the structural masterpieces you examine in depth are the Wainwright Building, the Chrysler Building, the Willis Tower, and the World Trade Center towers. x
20

The Beauty and Versatility of Modern Concrete

Concrete, the world's most commonly used construction material, has been used in buildings that are anything but common. See concrete's versatility at work in an incredible range of structures, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, the Salginatobel Bridge in the Swiss Alps, and Dubai's Burj Khalifa (currently the world's tallest building). x
21

Amazing Thin Shells—Strength from Curvature

Thin shells are unique structural elements that use curvature—cylindrical, dome-like, or saddle-like—to attain strength and stiffness. See these three types of thin shells used creatively in buildings ranging from St. Paul's Cathedral in London to the Zeiss planetarium in Germany to the Trans World Flight Center at New York's JFK Airport. x
22

Vast Roof Systems of Iron and Steel

The need for roofs spanning large enclosed spaces led to a startling number of new structural systems in the last 200 years. Look closer at long-span structural configurations in places such as the Houston Astrodome, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, and even the Hartford Civic Center (the collapse of which offers a lesson in the risks of innovation). x
23

The Incredible Lightness of Tension Structures

Apply old concepts in new ways with this lecture on tension structures, where all the principal load-carrying elements are in tension. Explore noteworthy examples, from the cable-supported roof of North Carolina's J. S. Dorton Arena to the suspended dish roof of Madison Square Garden to the cable dome of South Korea's Olympic Gymnastics Hall. x
24

Strategies for Understanding Any Structure

What happens when you encounter a noteworthy structure that hasn't been included in this course and you want to know more about it? Professor Ressler devotes his final lecture to answering this question; sending you out into the world with suggested strategies for understanding any structure—great or otherwise. x

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Downloadable PDF of the course guidebook
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24 lectures on 4 DVDs
216-page printed course guidebook
Downloadable PDF of the course guidebook
FREE video streaming of the course from our website and mobile apps

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Course Guidebook Details:

216-page printed course guidebook
Photos, illustrations & diagrams
Suggested readings
Timeline

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Reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 257 reviewers.

Rated 5 out of 5 by BGZRedux Extraordinary; Wonderful; Superbly Taught Civil Engineering is fascinating, often stunningly so. Who knew? Certainly not me, until I took Professor Ressler's "Understanding Greek and Roman Technology," and now this course. Both have 5/5 ratings and 100% recommendations, an extraordinary record, but fully deserved. This course, in comparison with "Understanding Greek and Roman Technology," places somewhat more emphasis on the underlying engineering and scientific principles. For someone who loves science, like myself, this is a plus. Even if you don't, however, it is done so clearly and gently that I think you will consider it a strong positive. The majority of the course then applies these principles to an understanding of, well, many of the world's greatest structures, enabling us to peer beyond the aesthetics to appreciate just as deeply their structure and its function, and the remarkable innovations and imaginations which made these possible. I hasten to add - the beauty is also fully acknowledged; understanding the underlying structure and principles only enhances our appreciation. As for our professor, I can only repeat my comments from my review of his other course: Professor Ressler is remarkable. His boundless enthusiasm is fortunately matched by his knowledge, his organization, his straightforward eloquence, and his ability to explain a technical field in a way that is engaging, comprehensible, and actually makes you want to learn more. The computer simulations and the physical models which Professor Ressler has constructed himself are all wonderful and often stunning. This course has my highest recommendation for anyone with any intellectual curiosity, even if you don't have a prior interest in the subject. And, as a side benefit, it provides a deep appreciation for the extraordinary technical and engineering imagination and achievements of those who lived centuries to millenia ago, as well as for the continuing innovations to our own time. July 26, 2015

Rated 5 out of 5 by wxman An Exceptional Course!!! The universal acclaim this course has received says it all. Those accolades are well-deserved for this is a truly outstanding course. The presentation is excellent. Professor Ressler moves about the stage during his delivery but the camera follows him well. He is animated and enthusiastic. His voice is clear and his style concise. His love for structural engineering is obvious. He reduces structural complexity into basics, explains them, and then uses them to reconstruct the original complex structure. It is a structural engineering course for the lay person. As many others have pointed out, it is the models that set this course apart. Structural design all boils down to mathematics and physics…and a structural engineering course would be loaded with both. The professor does briefly discuss the math and physics but then moves on to explain those principles visually. He could have relied solely on graphics but chose not to. Instead, he constructed working models to demonstrate those principles. Seeing is believing and those models make math an unnecessary prerequisite to the understanding of structure. A picture may be worth a thousand words but, in this course, a functioning model is worth a thousand pictures. Rest assured this course delivers on its promise. You will understand structure. Those models Ressler constructed are works of craftsmanship and some are quite detailed. His preparation time for this course must have been huge. Not only will you understand the engineering of the world’s greatest structures, but as a bonus, you will get a visual tour of them…buildings, bridges, and monuments. There’s history here also. You’ll learn how an ever-developing understanding of structural methods and material allowed for engineering advances from the Egyptian pyramids to the modern skyscraper. Even if you feel you have no interest in the subject matter, I still recommend this course. The presentation and material are so good that they will likely create that interest. That is the skill of a master instructor and I believe Professor Ressler to be one. I would hope that he provides a fit for a future TGC course. I, myself, was interested in the subject matter beforehand and was doubly rewarded by being treated to one of the best courses TGC has ever produced. December 7, 2013

Rated 5 out of 5 by NYNM WOW! One good course! I am very impressed, starting with the first few minutes. Although the course is about engineering, the prof actually starts with poetry! He reads Walt Whitman's poem on engineering. He reads from Vetruvius, references , discusses and shows models and photos of the Brooklyn Bridge, The SIstine Chapel, The CN tower in Toronto, the longest bridge in the world, in Japan, Scittish and Spanish bridges, Eiffel Tower and the White House. He presents the importance of Form Function and Structure. Oh, and this is in the first 20 minutes! Ressler has an excellent presentation style, very lively, enthusiastic, actually not "geeky." He seems experienced to speaking to "lay" audiences and is thereore quite accessible. Yet, this DVD would delight higher level science and engineering buffs. The way Ressler includes issues like history, culture, and the arts integrated with engineering is exciting. However, he doesn't just show pretty stuctures, the lecturer has many tabletop models where he explains the working principles of engineering. You learn about properties of concrete, iron and steel, arch, suspension and cantilever bridges, accounting for wind, load, curvature, buckling and tension. He explains how columns, trusses, domes, arches, beams and and parabolas work and which are best for which function. Thus you learn mechanics as well as aesthetics. And there are extensive case studies, contextualization of history, materials and design. There is even a bit of math and science, for those so inclined. The course guidebook contains excellent photos, drawings, quizzes, and challenges. You will learn so much, and be entertained. And you wil think. And you will notice engineering in the world around you in your daily life. This is one of my favorites, and I have over 100 courses!! May 27, 2011

Rated 5 out of 5 by NailKegs Understanding the Worlds Structures As a youth I had visions of grandeur to become a civil engineer. My comprehension of trigonometry washed me out, but I still loved the idea of creating. This course has served to satisfy my intellectual love of building, though my professional career took a different tack. Professor Ressler began where we all begin -- at the beginning and explained the principles behind the structures he would discuss. His presentations were clear, simple and right on. The visuals were clear and explained the principles very well. I was drawn into the discussions and gratefully was able to go back to my youth and remember what it was that so excited me about building. The cadets at West Point are lucky to have Professor Ressler. We are very lucky he would share his abilities with us. January 13, 2017