Dipartimento di Matematica, Universita' di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
We consider the numerical approximation of thin plate and shell structures with hierarchic high order finite elements. The plate bending problem is modelled following the Reissner--Mindlin assumptions while the shell problem is described using the Naghdi formulation. After briefly analyzing the mathematical models suggested for plate and shell problems, we deal with the numerical approximation and show the results obtained with some classes of special finite elements.