Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures - Softcover

Agrawal, Roma

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408870371 ISBN 13: 9781408870372

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

'A fascinating celebration of the impact that structural engineering has on all our lives.[an] eye-opening book' The Sunday Times

In BUILT, structural engineer Roma Agrawal takes a unique look at how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that reach hundreds of metres into the sky. She unearths how engineers have tunnelled through kilometres of solid mountains; how they've bridged across the widest and deepest of rivers, and tamed Nature's precious - and elusive - water resources. She tells vivid tales of the visionaries who created the groundbreaking materials in the Pantheon's record-holding concrete dome and the frame of the record-breaking Eiffel Tower. Through the lens of an engineer, Roma examines tragedies like the collapse of the Quebec Bridge, highlighting the precarious task of ensuring people's safety they hold at every step.

With colourful stories of her life-long fascination with buildings - and her own hand-drawn illustrations - Roma reveals the extraordinary secret lives of structures.

About this title

Review

[Agrawal] weaves accessible explanations of scientific principles together with engaging historical stories and personal anecdotes.[a] timely and impassioned book (Guardian)

Agrawal has a gift for rendering complex phenomena in simple terms...a real treat (Financial Times)

Agrawal is a rarity: a female structural engineer in an adamantly male profession . She will inspire young women who are considering a career in engineering . [S]he shines when explaining the sorts of things people might be too shy to admit they find inherently fascinating (New York Times Book Review)

Agrawal has just launched her first book, Built, the latest salvo in her crusade to get us to see the world "through different eyes, the eyes of an engineer" (i newspaper)

A fascinating celebration of the impact that structural engineering has on all our lives.[an] eye-opening book (The Sunday Times)

Roma makes the complex principles of structural engineering accessible to everyone with clear explanations and engaging illustrations. It has made me suddenly look at every building I pass in a new way (Ellen Stofan, former Chief Scientist at NASA)

Roma Agrawal makes engineering thrilling, accessible and thoroughly enjoyable. Built is another great example of how women can write beautifully about so-called male subjects. Bring on the female engineers! (Andrea Wulf, historian and author of The Invention of Nature)

A wonderfully absorbing book about an engineer and her passion for construction (Professor Mark Miodownik, materials engineer, broadcaster and author of Stuff Matters)

A charming tribute to one woman's love of engineering. Full of fascinating facts and personal stories (Angela Saini, author of Geek Nation)

A necessary reminder of the wonderful human ingenuity behind the world's greatest engineering projects, from Roman aqueducts to London's magnificent Shard. Built will inspire readers of every stripe (Erica Wagner, author of Chief Engineer)

Book Description

The wonders of engineering revealed - by the inspirational young female engineer behind The Shard, Western Europe's tallest building

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1408870371
• ISBN 13: 9781408870372
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320