Book excerpt: According to the ancient Greeks, nature was composed of four elements: air, fire, water and earth. Engineers are continuously faced with the challenges imposed by those elements, when designing bridges and tall buildings to withstand high winds; constructing fire resistant structures, controlling flood and wave forces; minimizing earthquake damage; prevention and control of landslides and a whole range of other natural forces. Natural disasters occurring in the last few years have highlighted the need to achieve more effective and safer designs against extreme natural forces. At the same time, structural projects have become more challenging. Featuring contributions from the First International Conference on Engineering Nature, this book addresses the problems associated in this field and aims to provide solutions on how to resist extreme natural forces. Topics include: Hurricane, Tornadoes and High Winds; Aerodynamic Forces; Fire Induced Forces; Wave Forces and Tsunamis; Landslides and Avalanches; Earthquakes; Volcanic Activities; Bridges and Tall Buildings; Large Roofs and Communication Structures; Underground Structures; Dams and Embankments; Offshore Structures; Industrial Constructions; Coastal and Maritime Structures; Risk Evaluation; Surveying and Monitoring; Risk Prevention; Remediation and Retrofitting and Safety Based Design.