“Man's
battle with nature has been won. Whether we like it or not, we are now burdened
with the administration of the conquered territory.”
Civil
engineer Ove Arup, 1970 | | 
Crushed
stone
Courtesy Tilcon New York, Inc.
Chicken&Egg
Public Projects
| | What's
natural? What's not? If there is a tree standing in the United States, it's because
someone decided to let it be. Farms, parks, and major rivers are no less engineered
than the Empire State Building.
Aggregates—mined materials including
crushed stone, gravel, and sand—are basic civil engineering materials. The
U.S. Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior reports that these natural
resources “are a major contributor to and an indicator of the economic well-being
of the Nation.” Ninety percent of asphalt pavement and 80% of concrete is
aggregate. Civil engineers put it to many uses, including the filtering of water
and the prevention of erosion.
We like to believe in a divide between
“natural” and “built.” It is the relationship between
engineering and nature, not the divide, that determines quality of life. Whose
values does that relationship reflect?
|
