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WHY IS IT THAT ENGINEERS allow others to take the credit for their achievements and remain stoically silent when this happens? Does this not lie at the very heart of our lack recognition? Who remembers the epic efforts of Ove Arup and his team to realise the flights of fancy of the original architect for the Sydney Opera House? How many know the name of the designer of the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg or the many brilliant water schemes without which the PWV area would not be the industrial heartland of the country?
Even our professional magazines are often amiss in giving the credit to those whose public relations teams shout the loudest. The story behind the spectacular Millau Viaduct in France is a classic case study of how this happens.
A recent article in Civil Engineering (March 2005), and various articles in New Civil Engineer International (NCEI), the international monthly of the Institution of Civil Engineers (May 2003, July 2004 and February 2005), prove the point. They all refer to the architectural practice of Norman Foster and Partners of London as the overall creators and designers of the Millau Viaduct. As late as February 2005 NCEI referred to Foster's winning design and the whole article creates the impression that it was all essentially the creation of Norman Foster. Once again an architectural firm claims all the credit for a project that was conceived, designed and masterminded by a French engineer, Michel Virlogeux.
NCEI (April 2005) finally gets to the truth in a lengthy interview with Michel Virlogeux the engineer who conceived and drove the design from its inception. He is a product of the world famous Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, where he was taught that art is an integral part of the engineer's training. Engineering is still as much an art as it is a science and the young engineers of today will do well to appreciate this as they sit in front of their computers.
The Millau Project started...