• Form
• Space
• Order
• Proportion
• Structure

Mechanics

Buildings must not collapse. Therefore, architects carefully consider mechanics, which is a physical science dealing with forces that affect structures. Forces can be “static,” relating to a building at rest, or “dynamic,” producing acceleration between bodies. Since buildings do not move, architects usually analyze them using principles of statics, but forces like wind and earthquakes require application of principles of dynamics.

In mechanics, architects must consider important concepts like “loads,” which are forces applied to a structure either from gravity or external sources. For example, gravity constantly exerts force on the building materials themselves. Gravity is a static load, but sudden changes in force — dynamic loads — are more difficult to predict. Good architects calculate both.