Aesthetics in the education of civil and structural engineers

Abstract

Civil and structural engineers are responsible for the design of large scale public works, but they hardly receive any training in conceptual design or visual education. The paper raises the need to urge an aesthetic education for engineers, in order to develop their perceptive and creative abilities, and presents the experience of the course on Art and Aesthetics in Civil Engineering held at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). The concept of engineering aesthetics used in the course arises from a holistic approach to the work of engineering and is focused on its form, trying to understand all the reasons behind it, be they heavily conditioned by technical constraints or not. Different course activities are described, intended to help the engineering student understand form not only through his brain, but also through his senses.