: how did people in the past ensure that a building/structure will be structurally sound?
In: 5150
I feel like all the “barely stands” comments in here are spouting that truism a little bit too literally.
Smart engineers take into account things like high winds, earthquakes, metal fatigue, corrosion, ground swell, etc. That means a modern structure is quite a bit stronger than just “barely standing”.
I know it’s just a colorful expression, but it tweaks me a bit.
Compared to the giant cyclopean monstrosities that some of the ancient surviving structures are, a modern structure may seem that it “barely standing”. But it’s just built with more precision and planning and a better understanding of physics and materials science.
Having to balance budgets against longevity, engineers usually have a practical service life in mind (50-100 years or whatever). Then the politicians ignore that and we have the crumbling bridges we all enjoy today.
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