| Term: | Structural design |
| Definition: |
To architect the topology, the shape and the material properties of a structure to achieve target design requirements. These requirements encompass the negotiation between structural and non-structural goals such as architectural, construction and environmental constraints. |
| Examples: |
Structural analysis is not structural design. The former estimates the performance of a structure given some topology, shape and material properties; while the latter does the inverse. However, these two processes are not mutually exclusive but rather synergetic: one needs structural analysis to do structural design. |