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To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design | Henry Petroski

1 post | 3 read

How did a simple design error cause one of the great disasters of the 1980s - the collapse of the walkways at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel? What made the graceful and innovative Tacoma Narrows Bridge twist apart in a mild wind in 1940? How did an oversized waterlily inspire the magnificent Crystal Palace, the crowning achievement of Victorian architecture and engineering? These are some of the failures and successes that Henry Petroski, author of the acclaimed "The Pencil," examines in this engaging, wonderfully literate book. More than a series of fascinating case studies, "To Engineer is Human" is a work that looks at our deepest notions of progress and perfection, tracing the fine connection between the quantifiable realm of science and the chaotic realities of everyday life.

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To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design | Henry Petroski

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Petroski writes about engineering in clear language that even non engineers can understand. His exploration of such disasters as the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Hyatt Regency elevated walkways and non disasters like the Brooklyn Bridge illustrate how engineering design often operates at the limits of our knowledge. Consequently, mistakes will be made, assumptions will be wrong, because engineers are imperfect humans.

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