Balmond is making the transition from structural engineer working alongside other architects to an architect in his own right. His structural thinking differs from that of others in his field, in its completely innovative conception of the engineer's contribution to architecture. The plasticity of architectural plans is enhanced through a decisive promotion of their structural designs. The borderline between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. This process is explained in detail in "Informal" by reference to eight seminal projects. Balmond elucidates the theoretical basis of his engineering and architectural solutions, and his sketches transcend purely technical illustration - they are key to his approach. "Informal" invites readers to rethink their understanding of the relationships between architecture, design and engineering.

塞西尔·巴尔蒙德(Cecil Balmond),台译瑟希尔·包曼,世界知名结构工程师。专注于创新结构建筑设计方向。现任奥雅纳工程公司(Ove ARUP)副总裁,合伙人,运营部负责人,高级几何部门主管。

他长期与世界顶尖建筑师合作,完成了大量富有创新意义的建筑和构筑物,将结构工程提升到一种富于创新的行为。他的兴趣特别注重于将数字、代数和音乐作为视觉元素体现几何结构的动态感。

他的近期作品包括伦敦巴特西发电厂改造工程；伦敦蛇形画廊2002年临时建筑；纽约新世贸中心和北京中国中央电视台等。

塞西尔也同时在各国多所建筑院校讲学和指导,包括美国宾夕法尼亚大学建筑学院教授,伦敦AA学校学术考试委员等。

塞西尔的著作以工程创作的创新设计探索为主,利用形式、代数推理和先进技术创造非以往的新设计。包括《数字9》(1998),《异规》(2002),element（2007）。