Competition: we've teamed up with structural engineers Fluid Structures to offer Dezeen readers the chance to win one of ten copies of their book, entitled Adventures in Engineering.

Written by the company's founder David Crookes, the 248-page book presents their experimental structures that range from staircases and bookshelves to houses, exhibitions and bridges in glass, steel, stone, aluminium and timber.

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Ten winners will be selected at random and notified by email. Winners’ names will be published in a future edition of our Dezeenmail newsletter and at the bottom of this page. Dezeen competitions are international and entries are accepted from readers in any country.

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Here are some more details from Fluid Structures:

This new book has been very well received by both the architectural and engineering communities. It deals with the position to be taken by a design engineer in the creative process and sets out the issues that will inform his/her contribution. The book examines various materials in terms of their creative potential.

Over 240 pages about designing in aluminum, glass, masonry, steel and timber. The book is also filled with technical information and details but is very suitable for use by architects and designers as it is more focused on buildability and details rather than analysis or complicated engineering.

"One of the new breed of design engineering companies that have emerged on the scene in the past few years, in the 12 years since its foundation in 1999 it is perhaps Fluid Structures that has made the biggest impression. Working with many of the UK’s leading architects and under the guiding hand of its founder David Crookes, the company has produced an impressive sequence of innovative structural solutions, characterised by a bold use of materials often used in new ways. Working from first principles and with an extensive knowledge of new systems and techniques, Fluid Structures has created structures in aluminum, glass, masonry, steel and timber, many of which are explored and explained here for the first time, each accompanied by a wry commentary on their genesis and production.”

In his introduction to ‘Adventures in Engineering’ Ken Shuttleworth (Founding partner of MAKE) writes;

"Fluid don’t see themselves as innovators but rather use a process of exploration and experimentation to generate ideas through the materials themselves. They believe this is the way forward, rather than offering off-the-wall suggestions without research. They are process-driven rather than solution-focused; they are fascinated by the journey rather than jumping straight to the end. They make the impossible seem easy, the difficult look refined and the finite seem infinite. This book is a testament to exploration and an inspiration to adventurers everywhere.”

In his review of ‘Adventures in Engineering’ for the Institution of Structural Engineers, Bob Wilson writes;

“You won’t find out about giant power-station jobs or similar constructions but you will find out about the skill, attention and patience needed to engineer bijoux projects. You may discover a most appealing sphere of structural engineering quite different from the rougher perception of regular work: one that could lure you into its lifestyle? Do read this book and keep it for further reference!”

The book addresses many contemporary forms encountered by architects and designers including staircases in steel, glass or aluminum, structural glass bookcases, innovative extensions, interventions in masonry, curved timber exhibition spaces and steel bridges.

It brings together the worlds of Architecture, Engineering and Design, highlighting a design process which is a synthesis of the different disciplines.

About the Author

David Crookes graduated as a structural engineer in 1984 and set up Fluid Structures in 1999. After graduating, he was employed in a variety of engineering offices in the UK and worked abroad in Europe and Africa for both architects and engineers. Between 1997 and 2007 he was involved in teaching at the University of Westminster, both at Degree and Diploma level in Architecture and he is currently a visiting fellow in Engineering at South Bank University. He also continues to teach in various schools of architecture. David has considerable experience in the design of contemporary structures and has worked with many of today’s cutting-edge designers and architects. He has pioneered the practice’s research and development agenda and has been instrumental in developing Fluid Structure’s in-house expertise regarding glass structures and lightweight forms.

Product details
Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Watermark Publications (UK) Ltd; First edition (1 May 2011)
ISBN-10: 1873200722
ISBN-13: 978-1873200728
Product Dimensions: 23 x 21 x 2.2 cm

Congratulations to the winners! Katharina Matthies in Germany, Ayano Hori in Canada, Marija Blagojevic in Switzerland, Michele Tomasin in Italy, Dennis Wells in the USA, Hector Rocha in Brazil, Tsang Yik Wo in China, Isse Omar in England, Stefka Zambarova in Bulgaria and Paulina Kowalska in Poland all won copies of Fluid Structure's Adventures in Engineering.

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