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For Philippe Samyn, engineering is not a sci-
ence; it is based on science as well as collective
assumptions, in connection with availabilities in
terms of both materials and culture in the widest
sense of the term. Samyn considers the Eurocodes
to be ‘a magnificent contribution’, because they
allow local cultures to flourish within the frame-
work of projects.
The Eurocodes are a set of fifty-eight European stand-
ards
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that define calculation and design methods to
apply to various structural materials (concrete, steel,
wood, brick, aluminium, and shortly glass, textiles, etc.)
and to their constitutive elements. They are applied in
a uniform manner, i.e. at the same level of safety no
matter what the material, and across the thirty states
that comprise the European Economic Area (includ-
ing the twenty-seven Member States of the
eu
). The
Eurocodes are thus performance-based calculation
methods. Their universal nature means that they can
be completed with national legislation and local cus-
toms. For example, the pitch of a staircase is generally
dictated by national fire safety regulations, according to
local tradition (for example, 20/20 in the Netherlands,
18/24 in Belgium, 16/28 in France). In Sweden, steel-
lattice lamp posts are lighter, cheaper and safer than
those in Belgium – the Swedes like them because they
offer less resistance in case of vehicle impact and thus
less risk to drivers. Hence the importance, according to
Philippe Samyn, of adding a solid foundation of social
sciences, especially philosophy, to engineers’ educa-
tion. Although ordinarily little used in Samyn’s works,
colour is another important cultural reference, as an
An engineer inspired
by culture
expression of a period or a history. During the construc-
tion of the fire station in Houten
(01-373, figures 33)
,
the town’s children were asked to draw 2,200 panels,
which were used to form the station’s back wall, offer-
ing a human element that is greatly appreciated by the
firemen. The project for a factory in Nizhni Novgorod,
Russia
(01-517, figure 34)
, like the project for the
school in Lubumbashi
(01-537, figures 32)
and for the
Henriquez Bridge in Copiapó, Chile
(01-382, figures 35)
are dependent on an understanding of local technologi-
cal know-how and customs.
The project for the bridge in Copiapó, in Chile’s
Atacama Desert, had to be as light as possible, to
withstand the region’s frequent earthquakes. To do
this, local metalworking techniques were used. One
evening, in order to understand better the cultural
specificity of the site, Philippe Samyn invited Copiapó’s
artistic and cultural milieu. The mayor and the governor
were surprised at the arrival of some 300 people, who
gave Samyn a better grasp of the ever present liveli-
ness of the Inca tradition, side by side with the indus-
trial tradition of the copper mines. Philippe Samyn was
inspired to create a structure that was acceptable to
the local residents, something that they could appropri-
ate for their own use. He recycled metal components
from old mines and wooden sleepers from the first
railway line in South America, originally used to trans-
port ore to the ocean. The sleepers were still in place
and in good condition, buried beneath the parched
desert sands. In this way, we can see the importance
for Samyn of teaching the history of engineering and of
sciences, in order to provide engineering students with
sources of cultural understanding and the desire to find
out more.
Figures 33: Fire station,
Houten, The Netherlands (01-373)
Figure 34: Factory in Nizhni
Novgorod, Russia (01-517)
Figures 35: Project for the Henriquez
Bridge in Copiapó, Chile (01-382)
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