Architecture Quote by Henry Petroski

“What is commonly overlooked in using the computer is the fact that the central goal of design is still to obviate failure, and thus it is critical to identify exactly how a structure may fail. The computer cannot do this by itself . . .”

Henry Petroski

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Architecture Computer Computers Critical Design Engineering Facts Failing Failure Goal Goals May Overlooked Stills Structure

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It is really want, rather than need, that drives the process of technological evolution.

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A failed structure provides a counterexample to a hypothesis and shows us incontrovertibly what cannot be done, while a structure that stands without incident…

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Everything we do is designed, whether we're producing a magazine, a website, or a bridge. Design is really the creative invention that designs everything.

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I employ case studies of failure into my courses, emphasizing that they teach us much more than studies of success. It is not that…

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Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct [i.e. the designed entity] is a matter of availability. If there is body…

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Failures are much more dramatic than successes, and people like drama. I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular…

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The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware…

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For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by things large and small. I wanted to know what made my watch…

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Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.

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The space shuttle was designed, at least in part, to broaden our knowledge of the universe. To scientists, the vehicle was a tool; to…

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Because they are so humbled by their creations, engineers are naturally conservative in their expectations of technology. They know that the perfect system is…

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