The book is about bridging the huge gaps between what engineers know, what they do and why things go wrong. It puts engineering into a wider perspective so readers can see how it relates to other disciplines - especially science and technology. Many intellectuals have dismissed engineering as 'applied science', but this book shows how wrong it is to do so - engineers apply science, but their purpose is quite different.It takes the reader on a learning journey of reflections on the gaps between theory and practice in professional life - not just in engineering but across all disciplines. The learning is summarized through 20 learning points or lessons, each one placed in context. Some of the important lessons are about learning from failure, joining-up theory and practice, understanding process, classifying uncertainty, managing risks, finding resilience, thinking systems to improve performance and nurturing practical wisdom.

This book highlights the unique need for philosophy among engineers, which stems from issues regarding their knowledge (epistemology), role or being (ontology) and influence (ethics). It discusses practice, context, ethics, models and failure as key aspects of engineering, and provides an easy but essential introduction to philosophy for engineers by presenting four key philosophers and linking them to these aspects: Karl Popper (failure), Thomas Kuhn (models), Michael Polanyi (practice & ethics) and Martin Heidegger (context & ethics). Popper, Kuhn and Polanyi are philosophers of science (epistemologists) who have challenged the view that science is a 'cool, detached' discipline, since it also depends on human imagination (Popper), consensus (Kuhn) and judgment plus artistry (Polanyi); factors that are central to engineering. Heidegger (an ontologist) critiqued technology on the one hand (ethics), but also stressed the importance of 'doing' over 'knowing,' thus 'authenticating' the highly pragmatic engineering profession. Science is the 'core' component of engineering, which is overlaid by a variety of heuristics . Practice-based knowledge can be formalized, with artificial intelligence (AI) offering a valuable tool for engineering, just as mathematics has done for science. The book also examines systems thinking in engineering. Featuring numerous diagrams, tables and examples throughout, the book is easily accessible to engineers.

Have you ever wondered how it's possible to build a skyscraper, a big bridge, a jumbo jet, or a cruise liner? Everything has structure. Structure is the difference between a random pile of components and a fully functional object. Through structure the parts connect to make the whole. Natural structures vary from the very smallest part of an atom to the entire cosmology of the universe. Man-made structures include buildings, bridges, dams, ships, aeroplanes, rockets, trains, cars and fair-ground rides and all forms of artefacts, even large artistic sculptures. The wide range of different industries in which structural engineers work includes construction, transport, manufacturing, and aerospace. In this Very Short Introduction, David Blockley explores, in non-technical language, what structural engineering is all about, including examples ranging from the Shard in London and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to jumbo jets like the A380 and the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Bridges touch all our lives - every day we are likely to cross a bridge, or go under one. How many of us stop to consider how the bridge stands up and what sort of people designed and built something so strong? Bridge building is a magnificent example of the practical and every day use of science. However, the story of bridges goes beyond science and technology, and involves issues relating to artistic and cultural development. After all, bridges are built by people, for people. Bridges can be icons for whole cities; just consider New York's Brooklyn Bridge, London's Tower Bridge, and Sydney's Harbour Bridge. Such bridges can be considered functional public art, as they have the power to delight or be an eyesore. David Blockley explains how to read a bridge, in all its different forms, design, and construction, and the way the forces flow through arches and beams. He combines the engineering of how bridges stand up with the cultural, aesthetic, and historical importance they hold. Drawing on examples of particular bridges from around the world, he also looks in detail at the risk engineers take when building bridges, and examines why things sometimes go wrong.

Doing it Differently: Systems for Rethinking Infrastructure, Second edition proposes 'systems thinking' as a methodology to deliver change. The book sets out the theory, concepts and tools using real-life examples to persuade people to think differently rather than simply relying on specific techniques or methods for particular types of problem. The first edition was published in 2000 to respond to the Egan Report of 1998, which called for radical change in the construction industry. With UK government spending of the order of GBP200 billion over the next 10 years, this book is directly helpful to those responsible for changes in the delivery of infrastructure needs. The second edition has been updated to reflect the current and growing realisation of the importance of infrastructure to the national economy and to manage the effects of climate change. It is organised using a simple framework to help improve systems thinking capability and shared learning. It also includes a coherent treatment of complexity in construction with new clarifications of terms such as 'risk', 'vulnerability' and 'resilience', and more on how to use tools such as the 'Italian flag', as well as a new treatment of high-consequence, low-probability events to improve resilience. Doing it Differently: Systems for Rethinking Infrastructure: (1) reflects the current and growing realisation of the importance of infrastructure to the national economy in the UK and internationally, including the USA; (2) includes numerous practical examples and case study boxes that help to illustrate major points; (3) provides the inspiration and resources to enable all infrastructure players to rethink and deliver change by doing it differently.

Engineering is part of almost everything we do - from the water we drink and the food we eat, to the buildings we live in and the roads and railways we travel on. In this Very Short Introduction, David Blockley explores the nature and practice of engineering, its history, its scope, and its relationship with art, craft, science, and technology. He considers the role of engineering in the modern world, demonstrating its need to provide both practical and socially acceptable solutions, and explores how engineers use natural phenomena to embrace human needs. From its early roots starting with Archimedes to some of the great figures of engineering such as Brunel and Marconi, right up to the modern day, he also looks at some of its challenges - when things go wrong - such as at Chernobyl. Ultimately, he shows how engineering is intimately part of who and what we are. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This is a completely new and fully comprehensive edition aimed at anyone who has contact with the construction industry. Written in a simple, easily accessible fashion the book contains major features on sustainability and the environment, hazard, vulnerability and uncertainty management together with new categories on business and finance, sustainability, water and transport. This edition offers easy and extensive cross referencing and definitions designed to help students to learn and associate ideas making this the perfect guide for anyone interested in any aspect of civil engineering.

This book illuminates what engineering is and how it relates to other disciplines such as art, architecture, law, economics, science, technology, and even religion. The author explains, from an intrinsic as well as descriptive perspective, why engineering is essential for our collective well-being, and how, like medicine, it is undertaken by people, and for people, to improve the human condition. He brings out the 'magic' of engineering practice as well as addressing the darker aspects such as warfare and the misuse of the internet. A too commonly held view assumes that the practice of engineers is a cold, purely quantitative and wholly technical enterprise of applying know science, and devoid of creativity or aestheticism. In 2013 the United States National Academy of Engineering launched a campaign called "Changing the Conversation, Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering" with four messages to impart about engineers: that they make a world of difference; are creative problem solvers; that they help shape the future, and are essential to health, happiness, and safety. In this volume, Professor Blockley incorporate these messages into an engaging exposition of engineering accomplishment in all of its evolving diversity, from the technician to the academic research engineer, illustrating the continuum of thinking and purpose from the fixer of the gas boiler to the designers of the A380 and the iPhone.