While relatively uncommon, structural failures continue to occur, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. Investigations of such failures have typically focused on the physical factors involved, which is understandable given the technical orientation and background of engineers. However, the design, construction, and management of structures always involve physical and human factors, and this broader dynamic system is responsible for both the safety and failure of structures. …

Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, C³Ink, or the STRUCTURE^® magazine Editorial Board.

Generally speaking, structural engineers first gain confidence that we can know the true behavior of structures during our engineering education, when we become exposed to the sophisticated and beautiful theories of structural mechanics. …