Infrastructure marvels and structures in any period of history—from the Hoover Dam to the Washington Monument—often amaze us by their scale and technical innovation and all that is needed to build them. Yet, I wonder whether the structures we are creating today will stand the test of time and be viewed with the same admiration decades or centuries from now. We may be overlooking the importance of quality and aesthetics.
Because we are pressed for time and short of patience and skilled craft labor, aesthetics are often secondary. That must change if the structures being built today are to endure and serve as a window to our ingenuity and artistry.