The Algebra
of
Construction
The process of modeling is
extensively used throughout all
construction and engineering…
Playing with this…
Can lead to building this…
Construction #1
Take 5 minutes, construct the best paper
airplane you can…
Building this…
Can lead to this
Millau Viaduct
ENGINEERING Millau, the highest bridge in the world
The construction of the Millau viaduct in the southeast of France was a
colossal engineering effort. The piers rise 803 feet from ground level, and
the bridge weighs 400,000 tons. The bridge is supported by seven huge
pillars. When the thickness of the platform (14 feet) and the height of the
pillars are included, the total height reaches 1102 feet. That is about 50 feet
higher than the famous Eiffel Tower.
Construction of this bridge required more than 350,000 tons of concrete and
40,000 tons of steel. Assembled with the precision of a Swiss watch, this
giant was designed to resist winds of up to 130 miles per hour and has cost
almost 300 million euros (US$523 million).
Built across the mountainous terrain of the Tarn river valley, the 8071-foot
long bridge (2.4 km) is part of the A-75 freeway that connects the cities of
Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers. It will shorten by more than 60 miles the
route connecting Paris with the Mediterranean. Seven European countries
participated in construction of the bridge, the design of which was the work
of the prestigious British architect, Sir Norman Foster, of Manchester,
England.
Operating on a model is better because:
1. It is easier
2. It is cheaper
3. It is faster
4. It is safer
Always plan ahead…
We are going to borrow an idea
from construction (blue prints) to
help us with our algebra.
#2 Landscaping!!
As a landscape architect, one of the
most requested feature is privacy.
People want an enclosed space of their own.
To create privacy, you will use 2 things
You could plant a hedge….
You could build a fence…
The larger the space, the more
trees and fences you will need…
You can design any kind of yard you like…
You can design any kind of yard you like…
You need a way to keep track of
everything you need
(here comes the algebra….)
thing
algebra
f
h
f
f2
f
Backyard
enclosed
by all
fence
h
h2
x
h
Backyard
enclosed
by all
hedge
f
fh
h
Using both
See sheets