An Engineer Imagines (2017) Peter Rice
It is a book in which one of the most important engineers of the 20th century tells his personal and professional life through his great professional projects that are the emblem of the most important cities in the world, such as the Sydney Opera House, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Kansai airport in Osaka, the LLoyd’s building in London or the Menil Gallery in Houston.
All with the common thread of materials, light, air, the environment, the fundamental elements of construction, the understanding of how each of the materials work, the structures, how they transmit loads and above all how to make it possible. He was an innovator in constructive solutions with different materials such as glass, polycarbonates, steel, concrete, stone, wood or fabrics, showing built examples of all of them.
Encouraging to value the work of the engineer, and the decisions he makes, knowing that the two keys are exploration and innovation. The process of innovation needs courage, care and attention to detail, and above all to believe and to get going.
His work with architects can be perfectly described in this phrase of his:
I enjoy understanding the aesthetic position of different architects and exploring what that means in terms of how one should proceed with a solution
Josefina García-León
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
Rice, Peter. An Engineer Imagines. London: Batsford, 2017.
ISBNP:9781849944236