There is a category of traditional building technique that looks primitive and turns out to be doing something subtle, and thatch is the clearest example available.
The appearance suggests a…
There is a useful question to ask about any standardised object: what is actually setting the dimension?
For a great many things the answer is a material property or a…
There is a common misunderstanding about coloured windows that makes the craft seem simpler than it was.
The assumption is that the glass is a canvas — clear material with…
There is a common experience in a large domed building, which is standing underneath and being unable to work out what is holding it up.
That reaction is appropriate. A…
The question to ask at any bridge is where the force goes. Straight down, outward against the banks, up into a tower, or along a chain of triangles - and…
There is an old puzzle about a ship whose planks are replaced one at a time until none of the original timber remains, and the question of whether it is…