In the ever increasing push for longer bridges, taller buildings,
bigger stadiums, and grander projects of all kinds, engineers face
new challenges that redefine our sense of both aesthetics and
functionality. Pushing the Limits describes two dozen adventures in
engineering that provide a fresh look at the past, a unique view of
the present, and a telling glimpse into the future of the
discipline and how it affects our lives.
Henry Petroski tells the stories of significant and daring
enterprises--some familiar, some virtually unknown, and some that
are still only dreams--in their historical and technological
contexts. Among the achievements are Philadelphia's landmark
Benjamin Franklin Bridge, London's incomparable Tower Bridge, and
China's ambitious Three Gorges Dam project. But pushing the limits
of technology does not come without risk. Petroski also chronicles
great technological disasters, such as the 1928 failure of
California's St. Francis Dam, the 1999 tragedy of the Texas A&M
Bonfire, and the September 11, 2001, collapse of New York's World
Trade Center towers. He deals with other calamities as well, such
as the 1994 earthquake that struck Southern California and the
embarrassingly wobbly Millennium Bridge in London, which had to be
shut down only three days after it opened.
The breadth and depth of Petroski's erudition and his passionate
interest in the art of design and in building have earned him the
title of America's poet laureate of technology, and his exploration
of the complexity of what goes into design continues to stretch the
imagination.
"From the Hardcover edition.
General
Imprint: |
Random House USA Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2005 |
First published: |
September 2005 |
Authors: |
Henry Petroski
|
Dimensions: |
203 x 132 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
304 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4000-3294-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General & literary fiction >
Modern fiction
|
LSN: |
1-4000-3294-6 |
Barcode: |
9781400032945 |
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