Just as the skeletal frame of the human body supports our flesh, so does the structural frame of a building make possible the physical expression we know as architecture. In all living and man-made things, there is a structure, and there is no question of its importance in the grand scheme of the universe. Our buildings always start with a hole in the ground. But they soon soar upward with the "sticks" that give them shape and purpose. These "sticks" are the focus of our discussion this month. Structurally, the most critical time in the early life of a new building is when the framing is being erected. At this point there usually is no "skin"
