Co-taught with a Visiting Professor from Spain, Juan Jose Jorquera-Lucerga, and taught for the first time in the Fall 2015, this course presents a systematic methodology to understand and analyze complex structures based on a careful study of the flow of forces, structural shapes and structural systems. This methodology, which is especially useful in the conceptual design phase, is developed with tools such as Graphic Statics and Maxwell’s Theorem. Linear elements (such as compression, tension, beams with bending and shear, torsion) and their derivatives (such as trusses, cables, arches, shells) are analyzed and discussed. Two-dimensional shapes (beam grids or slabs) and three-dimensional shapes (domes, vaults, cylinder, shells, cable nets) are studied. The learning is based on real structures (e.g., modern iconic footbridges to classic structures such as the Pantheon).