That is not the fanciest arch you’ll ever see. It’s a flat arch made with common brick, and it looks like a few bricks were hand cut or broken on site to fit the “keystone” in the center. On the other hand, it’s been working for some 120 years, so I feel like I’m being …
I happened to catch the Disney Magic* sailing down the Hudson and out of New York earlier this week, apparently on a cruise to St. John, New Brunswick.** Since I put up a photo of RMS Titanic not long ago, it’s interesting to compare the two in terms of their design as machines. Actually, not …
That’s a picture of what may be the smallest ratio of column capital to column size ever built. The column is the rectangular bump in the wall just to the right of the window, and it measures roughly 18 inches deep and 30 inches wide. There are similar columns all along the perimeter of the …
I like to look at solutions that other engineers have used on problems similar to the ones I face. Not just engineers: builders and architects often suggest ideas that are worth thinking about. If I don’t like their solutions, I’m no worse off than I was before; if I like them then I can use …
The Queensboro Bridge is not known for its delicacy. It’s the only cantilever truss among New York City’s major bridges, and as such it looks very heavy compared to our suspension bridges. To this day, the best line about its appearance comes from Henry Hornbostel, the architect who was brought in to help with the …
