I’d argue that the elegance of a design solution—engineers design things—is what the structural engineer was referring to. The next question is what is elegance in regards to a solution to a problem? Simplicity? Economy, both financial and technical? Aesthetic? The difficulty we have is that few people agree. When I studied industrial design in the early nineties, we were taught that design is merely the process of solving a problem. In fact, when dissecting a brief, the first goal is to establish the problem that needs solving is. The aim of a designer (or indeed an engineer) should be to incorporate all three elements that I mentioned. Sadly, those that struggle with the aesthetic, dismiss it’s importance out of hand.