The book is divided up into a number of chapters, each focusing on a different building method or structure, and including profiles of engineers and architects, explanations of the physics involved, and historical and modern methods of buildings. For example, "How to build a dome" is explained through the building of the Pantheon. "How to build across" profiles a variety of bridges and is followed by "How to build stable" which features a unique bridge in New Zealand, built to withstand a variety of forces including earthquakes.
The last chapters talk about the challenges involved in building in space and how engineering buildings might be envisioned for the future. A glossary is included as well as a page showing some of the engineers involved in or mentioned in the book, including the author. While some of the layout was confusing, I think this may have been because I read this as an egalley and it will make more sense in the finished, print version.
The text is nicely broken up into short sections and filled with interesting ideas and facts. Could the Romans have built skyscrapers? Probably, but without elevators nobody wanted to go up and down that many stairs! Do you know how resonance and frequency are involved in bridge-building? Check out page 50! The book is definitely aimed at an audience that can understand and grasp more complex science principles, and has encountered a number of basic science ideas already, so upper elementary or middle school will be the ideal audience for this.
Verdict: This will be of interest to incipient engineers and also to classes building their own creations, whether it be out of cardboard, on a 3D printer, or with other materials. Recommended especially for libraries that have or partner with maker spaces.
ISBN: 9781547609291; Published August 2022 by Bloomsbury; Egalley provided by publisher; Added to library order list
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