Just as every animal builds a “home” to protect itself, humans have been making homes for a long time. Architectural engineering is the technical discipline of designing safe structures and comfortable environments for human comfort, and realizing perfect architecture that is also economical.
Every animal builds a “home” with their own hands, but the process of building a home is more than just a place to live; it’s a way of adapting to their unique skills, instincts, and natural environment. For example, beavers, known as craftsmen, collect wood and mud from the surrounding area to build dams, which they then use to construct underwater sheltered “homes” that are designed to keep their families safe while protecting them from natural enemies. Ants, like a small army, work together individually to build elaborate, cozy “homes” in mazes, with tiers of rooms for different purposes, and even humidity and temperature are kept constant.
Humans, too, have built homes to protect themselves from the elements of the natural environment, such as rain, wind, and cold, as well as from external threats from animals. Over time, the functions and structures of homes have become more diverse, and today, homes are more than just a place to live; they are places where we rest, build memories with our families, and express our personalities and tastes. They are part of our clothing, food, and shelter, and have been an integral part of our existence since the beginning of humanity. My major, architecture, is a discipline that began with the dawn of mankind and deals with the art and science of building a safe, comfortable, and meaningful “home” that goes beyond just a space.
My interest in architecture stems from the overwhelming feeling I had in front of the metropolis of Manhattan, New York City. During my freshman year of high school, I happened to visit the East Coast of the United States and spent a day in Manhattan. Standing among the skyscrapers, including the iconic Empire State Building, I felt overwhelmed by the vague “power of architecture” I had felt at a young age. While my friends were snapping photos in exotic locations and enjoying the vibrant billboards of Times Square, I stood there in the middle of the street, staring blankly up at the sky. The buildings that populated the city were interconnected like a giant spider’s web, and the light shining through them gave off an aura of sacredness and wonder. At the same time, I wondered, “How were these structures built?” and “What was the thinking behind their design?” The thrill I felt when I climbed to the observation deck of the Empire State Building and looked down on Manhattan was deeply embedded in me and led to my decision to pursue architecture.
The architecture department at Seoul National University in South Korea is divided into two majors: architecture and architectural engineering. Among them, architecture studies architectural design and theory and emphasizes aesthetic values. On the other hand, architectural engineering, which I chose, aims to train architectural engineers and covers four main areas: building structure, built environment, building equipment, and building construction. The goal of architectural engineering is to realize architecture as a structure that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also safe, economical, and environmentally friendly.
To illustrate, let’s assume that we are building a small house. Once the design drawings are finalized by an architect, we will first survey the site. We check the nature of the soil and the presence of groundwater, which is essential for a stable structure. Next, we install the columns and beams that serve as the skeleton of the building, and this is where the field of building structure comes into play.
The structure is the foundation that supports the building, and materials like rebar and concrete are used to do so. Based on the physical principles and mechanics that you learned in middle and high school, you design a safe structure by considering the loads that each material is subjected to, the weight of people, natural forces such as wind, and even disasters such as earthquakes and floods. For example, a skyscraper must be able to withstand much stronger loads and wind pressure than a typical residential building, and it must also be designed to withstand earthquakes.
Once the structural work is complete, it’s time to flesh out the bones of the house. The built environment and building facilities play an important role in this process: insulation is used to minimize energy loss, walls are constructed inside and outside for stability and comfort, and air conditioning, water supply, and drainage are installed inside the house to make it a livable space.
First, the field of built environment deals with the study of comfortable indoor and outdoor environments. Indoor environments help ensure that the spaces we live in stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and increase human comfort through proper lighting and humidity control. At the same time, outdoor environments incorporate natural energy, such as solar power, into architecture to make buildings more energy efficient and in harmony with the surrounding nature. Such research is becoming essential for sustainability in modern cities.
Meanwhile, building facilities is the field that installs and manages various mechanical facilities, including heating and cooling systems and sanitary facilities for indoor comfort. It encompasses cooling, heating, water supply, and drainage systems, as well as electrical, gas, and kitchen equipment, and is considered an essential technology for healthier and more hygienic living in the modern world. Today’s building installations are focused on developing more innovative and eco-friendly systems that take energy efficiency into account.
Finally, there’s building construction, which oversees everything after a building is first planned and designed. Building construction is the discipline responsible for planning and managing the building process, providing technical and economic oversight to ensure that each step is carried out as planned. It brings together and coordinates a wide range of skills and knowledge to ensure that the designed building is finally built in an efficient and economical way. The quality of a building depends on the overall management and coordination of its construction, especially when specialists from different fields work together under one goal.
It is very rewarding to be able to build a home with a solid structure, a pleasant environment, and ease of living through architectural engineering. Furthermore, I am learning that architecture is not just a job, but a meaningful endeavor that provides people with comfort and sanctuary as we conceive and design spaces where humans and nature come together.
