Structural art: Past, present and future

The idea of structural art has gained an increase in interest due to the pioneering book by David Billington in 1983. With this, a paradigm shift is emerging with the belief that structural engineers can become artists in the design process by cooperatively integrating three tenets: economy, efficiency, and elegance. The objective of this up-to-date review is to present a broad perspective of structural art during the past three decades (1983-2013). Historical engineering projects and the stories of their structural engineers are discussed to identify the key conditions that have contributed to various works of structural art. Further, this review promotes the importance of the structural art concept and equips future engineers by discussing the potential resources and tools that can be utilized to learn more about structural art.