In this course we address the relation between Structural Design and Architectural Design and how these disciplines can mutually benefit from each other. How can the architectural expression of a building come from the structure and the way that is articulated? How can thinking about the structure be the start of your design instead of something you try to ‘fix’ in the end? The course consists of a series of lectures organized around three different construction materials: timber, concrete, and steel. Students participating in the course will design a small building three times, using the different materials discussed in the lectures. The design should architecturally express the possibilities that specific material has to offer. This sequence of two-week design exercises results in a series of three physical scale models. Students will learn about tectonics (the expression of material and structure), how to use rules of thumb and structural schemes in a design process, how to find beauty in structure and how to elaborate the design to a basic detail. Video interviews with leading architects and structural designers form a central part of the study material for the course.