Unveiling New Perspectives: My Experience at SAHC
There’s something incredibly exhilarating about gaining new knowledge – it’s like lifting a grey veil of dust off your eyes. This feeling has become all too familiar as I embark on my journey in the built environment. Just six weeks into the course, I’ve noticed a shift in how I perceive my surroundings. Cracks on buildings now stand out to me like smiling wrinkles, and you may find me gazing at random facades more often than I’d like to admit.
Having spent six years in the vibrant world of London’s structural engineering consultancies, I’ve developed a good understanding of the diverse challenges we face with both new and existing buildings. Particularly in light of the climate emergency and the construction industry’s impact, we, as structural engineers, carry a significant responsibility to advocate and implement sustainable practices. What better way to embrace this responsibility than by exploring how existing and historic buildings behave?
This motivation is what drew me to the course, already exceeding my expectations. The professors are very responsive, addressing every question with comprehensive technical knowledge and are able to contextualise their knowledge specifically to structural engineering context, which I find extremely unique to this course. The array of case studies presented offers a practical view of how theory translates into real-world application, while also shedding light on past restoration mistakes and mishaps still prevalent in the industry. The case studies span Europe, Asia, and the Americas, also sparking renewed inspiration to visit these regions and experience heritage buildings through this newly unveiled lens.
Within the context of a small and committed classroom, we discovered forgotten design methods such as ‘Rules of Third’ by Blondel and how the unreinforced Roman-concrete Parthenon in Rome still stands today. We learned how deformations were integrated into the construction process which occurred at a much slower rate over decades or even centuries, contrasting sharply with today’s practices where rapid programmes often dictate key design considerations. And of course, how Leonardo was centuries ahead of his time, performing experiments on arches to determine the hinge locations.
This exploration of the built heritage has revealed that concepts we label as ‘new’ – like adaptive reuse and circularity – have long been part of our architectural history. From gothic churches built on Roman foundations to columns from temples being repurposed elsewhere, these practices showcase a continuous cycle of materials and functions, emphasising the ongoing evolution of our shared built heritage.
As I embark on this journey, I’m excited to see where this newfound knowledge will take me and how it will shape my future in structural engineering.
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