Structure

Definition: In any material is one that is made stable by a skeleton that is able to stand by itself as a rigid structure without depending on floors or walls to resist deformation.

Materials: wood, steel, and reinforced concrete, which are strong in both tension and compression.

Types: (both based on the post-and-lintel principle)
 * 1) Heavy timber frame: large posts, spaced relatively far apart, support thick floors and roof beams
 * 2) American light wood frame (balloon frame): composed of many small and closely spaced members that could be handled easily and assembled quickly by nailing instead of by the slow joinery and dowelling of the past.
 * 3) Steel framing: based on the same principle but is much simplified by the far greater strength of the material, which provides more rigidity with fewer members. The load-bearing capacity of steel is adopted for buildings many times higher than those made of other materials.