You drive across bridges; walk through tunnels; and marvel at large buildings, interesting productions of construction are all around us, but how often do we stop and consider them?
Interesting construction tidbits can be traced back all the way to the time of the Incas. For example, did you know that any person attempting to harm an Incan bridge was instantly put to death? The Incas believed that bridges were sacred, and they often built their bridges from solid grass ropes that were suspended above the deepest rivers and gorges. Over one thousand people chipped in to build the most massive Incan bridges, and these impressive feats existed for over five hundred years. Even though the Incas had bridge building down to an exact science, some rather astounding Roman construction sites are definitely worth mention.
Aside from the ever extraordinary Colosseum (which, is a “must see” for anyone traveling to Rome), the Column of Trajan, which was built in 113 A.D., is another massive construction feat. The column itself was built to honor Roman emperor Trajan’s numerous victories against the Dacian tribes, and inside of the column rests a fresco that is nearly 218 feet long. The Column of Trajan is nearly 128 feet tall; 12 feet thick; and it is made from gilded bronze – talk about some impressive construction! Nearly every culture has left their mark on the world when it comes to construction, and the Japanese are certainly no exception.
One of the most interesting niches about construction has to be the reality that the “houses of rice skin” found throughout Japan, are actually made with a leftover portion of rice. Japanese rice farmers remove the hulls from the rice, sort the white kernels, and then use the leftover hulls to make a sort of paste. This “rice paste” is then molded into build brick-like blocks that are used to make houses. Still, there are other impressive construction achievements to be found in North America as well.
The Empire State Building in New York City consists of over 10 million bricks, and it takes an average person twenty minutes to walk the entire circumference of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Construction seems to be one way for a civilization to speak to future generations, and most well built construction sites last for hundreds of years – just think of the buildings and bridges that people will find from our culture thousands of years from now.
There are many interesting tidbits about construction to be found around the world, so the next time that you walk across a bridge or look up at a large skyscraper, think about those buildings around the world that have stood the test of time. Construction is largely taken for granted, but when you start to realize those things that are around you, the world suddenly becomes a much more extraordinary place.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about construction issues for NewConstructionCompanies.com, where you can locate
construction companies near you and across the country.
