In the quest to build better for the future, some are looking for answers in the long-ago past.

Ancient builders across the world created structures that are still standing today, thousands of years later — from Roman engineers who poured thick concrete sea barriers, to Maya masons who crafted plaster sculptures to their gods, to Chinese builders who raised walls against invaders.

Yet scores of more recent structures are already staring down their expiration dates: The concrete that makes up much of our modern world has a lifespan of around 50 to 100 years.

  • @SalamendaciousOP
    link
    21 year ago

    Another user posted a practical engineering video that I hadn’t seen yet and I heard your exact phrase about anyone building a bridge that stands so mea culpa i didn’t know any better.