The writings of Belgian engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940): homo universalis or contemporary propagandist?

During the last decade of the nineteenth century, Belgian engineer and professor Arthur Vierendeel - mostly known for the Vierendeel, a frame without diagonal rigidifying elements - published a series of books in which he expounded his views on the use of steel in architecture and engineering. Vierendeel described the structural possibilities of constructing in iron, and also theorized how this ‘new’ material should capture its own architectural style. Structural aesthetics is derived from rivets, proportions, tie rods, columns and covering strips whereas auxiliary aesthetics can be created through adding ceramics, other metals and decorative painting. Formal issues had to surpass structural considerations, or in Vierendeel’s words: “Pour les constructions métalliques les dimensions doivent être déterminées à priori par des considérations esthétiques et qu’après seulement il y a lieu de recourir à la formule mathématique.

Development of the Vierendeel : calculation, aesthetics, welding, concrete

The Vierendeel is a frame with rigid joints patented in 1896 by Belgian engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940). His invention came about after he noticed that experiments and calculation methods on iron and steel frameworks didn't agree, making his invention a response in the then discussion on secondary stresses. After designing a church tower and testing a full-scale bridge model during the 1897 Brussels World Fair, many bridges 'système Vierendeel' were erected the following decades in his homeland, as well as a few dozens around the globe. At times the discussion on the Vierendeel got heated in trade journals and amongst people, mainly due to a lack of 'visual' safety and theoretical uncertainties concerning calculation, safety factors and welding techniques. Nowadays the Vierendeel principle is still topical and many (structural) designers apply his formal ideas. This led to a broader meaning of the word Vierendeel varying from aesthetic to strictly structural