Last fall, my wife Marilyn and I visited an Etruscan well in Perugia, in the province of Umbria, Italy. This well is still being used today and was constructed at the highest point in the city almost 2300 years ago. The well is centred in a town square with streets and multi-story stone buildings surrounding it.
The 2 main stone trusses that hold up the ceiling of the well and the street above are mortarless assemblies of accurately fitting stones that interlock in a scarf joint, where compressive forces tighten and lock the pieces for an incredibly strong and long-lasting set of supports.
It’s a challenge to imagine a modern solution more effective than this design, which has functioned safely for 2 millennia.
There are engineering marvels that have existed for hundreds, and even thousands of years that perplex us today because we’re not sure how they were accomplished.
“Wisdom is the daughter of experience.”- Anonymous
Wisdom is a matter of information, experience, intelligence, and perspective.
Our perspectives are exponentially broadened when we look both back and forward.
When searching for solutions at Atlas Industries, an integral part of our information-gathering process is the question: “Are there any other solutions that can be applied to this situation?”
We built a horizontal press a couple of years ago to expand our forming capabilities into large helices. We examined the desired outcome, considered similar solutions, and asked which innovation might improve it.
We’ve been very pleased to move this project from concept to function to profitability.
Way to go Team!
“Innovation with Experience”. Innovation is the cutting edge, and Experience is the foundation.
Written by Warren Peters, President of Atlas Industries