Publications [#268052] of Henry Petroski

Papers Published

1. Petroski, H, The story of two houses, American Scientist, vol. 102 no. 4 (January, 2014), pp. 258-261, Sigma Xi, ISSN 0003-0996 [doi]
   (last updated on 2023/06/01)

   Abstract:
   A fictional structure from a 19th-century novelette and the author's real residence tell the intertwined tale of architecture and engineering. Vitruvius, author of the first-century BCE treatise on Greek and Roman architecture and engineering, has been variously identified as an architect, an engineer, and an architect/engineer. In fact, the professions were effectively one and the same for nearly two millennia after Vitruvius. From such a sketchy description, an architect must define and subdivide the interior space for and compose the external appearance of a structure, whether it be a country house, townhouse, or urban skyscraper. Though young Paul has no training in either engineering or architecture, he uses his architect cousin's drawing instruments to develop a floor plan incorporating his sister's wishes as best he can.