ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER - June 2010
History of Engineering and Structures
The history of engineering begins with curiosity. Humanity’s sense of curiosity led to an understanding of the materials and tools around them, allowing them to use their brains and power to meet society’s needs with what they had. Engineers have built many structures since the earliest periods of history, including shelters, irrigation canals, bridges, roads, and flood protection barriers. For this reason, in all civilizations that played a significant role in history, engineers have often been close associates of the rulers. They contributed significantly to the development of civilizations.
The Sumerians built channels, temples, and city walls, forming the first engineering practices in the world. The first plans and construction specialists emerged in Ancient Egyptian Civilization. These first engineers reached very important positions within the state. Roman engineers developed hydraulic mortar and designed many machines, including cranes and lifting devices. The mosques, bridges, caravanserais, and many other structures built by the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires still stand today, defying the test of time.
The examples of such structures are numerous, and likewise, examples of earthquake damage can be given along with human history. For this reason, from the earliest written sources to the present day, the construction of buildings has never been independent of earthquakes, nor can it be. One of the best examples of this in history is the Code of Hammurabi.
The Code of Hammurabi, created around 1760 BC in Mesopotamia, is one of the oldest and best-preserved written legal codes in history. The decisions made by King Hammurabi on various matters were written in the Akkadian language on a stone tablet dedicated to the Esagila Temple. The laws, inscribed with cuneiform script on a nearly two-meter-high cylindrical stone, consist of 282 articles. Among these articles, those related to construction are as follows:
- If a builder constructs a house for someone and fails to complete the work properly and sufficiently, causing the house to collapse and resulting in the death of the owner, the builder will be sentenced to death.
- If the collapse of the house leads to the death of the owner’s son, the builder’s own son will be sentenced to death.
- If the owner's slave dies, the builder will be required to provide the owner with a new slave.
- If any of the owner's property is damaged, the builder will compensate for the damage and, due to his negligence in the construction, which caused the house to collapse, he will be required to build a new house at his own expense.
Hammurabi's laws, of course, are open to debate from today’s legal perspective. However, what matters here is the attention given to the subject of construction. There are countless sources on earthquake-resistant buildings, yet all of them aim to create a single concept: “STRONG structures.” The term "strong" encompasses many important situations and details.
Today, significant engineering structures are being built. The Burj Khalifa, completed on January 4, 2010, in Dubai, is the tallest building in the world at 828 meters high with 160 floors. Bridges are now built using various techniques. Suspension bridges, tensioned, and cantilever bridges are significant products of advanced structural technology. Tunnels, dams, and infrastructure projects are among the many engineering marvels.
All these examples showcase the importance of engineering, its current state, and its place in our lives. Structural technology has reached a level of pride. However, alongside these special details, I believe that the general situation should also be properly evaluated. A significant majority of structures in our country and other countries consist of residential buildings. In Turkey, the proportion of buildings that have not received engineering services or those with insufficient engineering services has been revealed after each earthquake. One of the most important actions to be taken to reduce earthquake damage is building inspection. Through building inspection, the increase in the number of structures with inadequate earthquake resistance will be prevented. Furthermore, urban transformation projects should be carried out for the existing building stock.
I believe that the secret to development, success, and growth in technical terms lies in this statement: "It is not how far the world of technology has advanced, but where we stand in the world of technology that matters."