Leo T. reviewed on + 1775 more book reviews
Although targeted to a youthful audience, this is a quite concise and sophisticated explanation of the nuts and bolts of how engineering difficulties were overcome in the contruction of several notable bridges, dams, tunnels, domes, and skyscrapers. It is well illustrated with diagrams and drawings, discusses weight bearing loads in some detail, has a glossary, but no index. It accompanied a PBS series of 1990. The shortest entries deal with domes and skyscrapers and the longest article is on the Golden Gate Bridge, an engineering marvel that brought justified pride to Californians in the 1930s, along with the Colorado River aqueduct and Boulder Dam. It is easy to read for those with an interest in the subject, for example 'There are only five basic bridge types...' Bridges: Ponte Fabricio (Rome 62BC), Iron Bridge (Severn River, 1775), Britannia Bridge (railway, Wales, 1838), Garabit Viaduct (France, 1879), Firth of Forth, Golden Gate Bridge, and Ponte de Normandie (France, 1990).
Tunnels. Two ancient tunnels (Italy, 41AD), Hoosac Tunnel (Massachusetts, 1855-1876), Thames Tunnel (London, 1825), The Channel Tunnel (1987-1994), and the Big Dig.
Dams: Ita (Brazil, 1996-2000), Hoover, Aswan, Itaipu (Parana River, Brazil/Paraguay, 1975-1991).
Domes: Pantheon (118-125), Hagia Sophia ( Constnatinople, 532-537), Sehzade Mosque (Istanbul, 1544-1548), St. Peter's Basilica (1585-1590), Les Invalides (1680-1691), St. Paul's Cathedral (1675-1710), U.S. Capitol (1856-1863), Astrodome (1962-1965).
Skyscrapers: Reliance Building (Steel skeleton, 15 stories, 1892-1895; Chicago limited buildings to ten stories in 1893 and thus was outbuilt by NYC), Woolworth Building (1913), Chrysler Building (1930), Empire State Building (1931), John Hancock Center (1959), World Trade Center (1972), Sears Tower (1974), Citigroup Center (1977), Petronas Tower (Kuala Lumpur, 1997), Commerzbank Frankfurt (1997).
Tunnels. Two ancient tunnels (Italy, 41AD), Hoosac Tunnel (Massachusetts, 1855-1876), Thames Tunnel (London, 1825), The Channel Tunnel (1987-1994), and the Big Dig.
Dams: Ita (Brazil, 1996-2000), Hoover, Aswan, Itaipu (Parana River, Brazil/Paraguay, 1975-1991).
Domes: Pantheon (118-125), Hagia Sophia ( Constnatinople, 532-537), Sehzade Mosque (Istanbul, 1544-1548), St. Peter's Basilica (1585-1590), Les Invalides (1680-1691), St. Paul's Cathedral (1675-1710), U.S. Capitol (1856-1863), Astrodome (1962-1965).
Skyscrapers: Reliance Building (Steel skeleton, 15 stories, 1892-1895; Chicago limited buildings to ten stories in 1893 and thus was outbuilt by NYC), Woolworth Building (1913), Chrysler Building (1930), Empire State Building (1931), John Hancock Center (1959), World Trade Center (1972), Sears Tower (1974), Citigroup Center (1977), Petronas Tower (Kuala Lumpur, 1997), Commerzbank Frankfurt (1997).
