The Science Behind, Inside and Under World Famous Architecture

How were the Egyptian Pyramids built? What is a flying buttress and why are they used? How and why did the World Trade Center towers collapse?

These and other questions will be considered as we explore the history of architecture in light of developments through the centuries in scientific understanding: how and why buildings stand up or fall down;  engineering techniques for constructing structures; and building materials used.

This course will cover Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture, as well as architecture of the industrial revolution through the 20th century.