Physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) is regarded as one of giants of scientific thought. While his groundbreaking contributions to electromagnetism and statistical physics are well known, his significant insights into the theory of structures are appreciated less widely. 

A new publication edited by SOM Consulting Partner Bill Baker, together with Allan McRobie, Professor of Structural Engineering at Cambridge University, seeks to reveal Maxwell’s astute perceptions of structural geometry and his influence on engineering practice. The Geometry of Equilibrium: James Clerk Maxwell and 21st-Century Structural Mechanics is the first book to examine Maxwell’s key discoveries in structural mechanics and their importance today.

“Exploring Maxwell’s contributions to structural mechanics and the geometry of equilibrium has greatly changed my approach to the design of structures,” said Baker. He notes that SOM has applied Maxwell’s ideas in a number of recent projects: the geometry of the structural canopies at Jiuzhou Bay, the draped cladding of Greenland Hangzhou Century Center (pictured), the high-waisted X-brace structural system at 100 Mount Street and 800 Fulton Market, and the pedestrian bridge at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, among others.

The book includes several chapters co-authored by Baker, as well as chapters co-authored by SOM structural engineers Cameron Millar and Alessandro Beghini. 

From the publisher, Cambridge University Press: “Early chapters introduce the background in which Maxwell was working, followed by contributions by leading researchers describing the latest applications of these ideas. Subsequent chapters introduce the many subtopics that this work embraces. The book ends with Maxwell’s original papers on structural mechanics, each annotated to highlight and explain the ideas therein. This is a wonderful resource for mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and designers to enter this rich and underexplored aspect of the genius of Maxwell.”