(271 pages)I saw several positive reviews so gave it a try. Interesting but not compelling.
What the author is trying to do: give non-engineering types enough basic information so that we can look at roads, bridges, buildings and think about some of the foundational principles involved in putting them up. And it does have that effect, though I don't expect to retain much.
Interesting discussions about the incredible engineering and construction skills of the Romans.
Didn't realize concrete was such a valuable product (mastered by the Romans, then their methods were lost for hundreds of years).
Pendulums atop tall buildings to offset swaying - who knew?
Interesting discussions of the Pantheon and Brunelleschi's dome.
Elevators can only travel about so far because the steel cables to move them become too heavy. Maybe that's why we had a stop-off on the way to the 80th floor of the Sears Tower back in the day?
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