Hacker News Reader

A french architect named Jean-Pierre Houdin has arguably cracked the method by which the pyramids were constructed back in 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTgxGJfXRQ0

You'd think, that out of all the disciplines of human knowledge, an architect would have been consulted on the puzzle of the pyramids' construction much earlier, but this is surprisingly not the case. I mean, who better to help decipher how something was built then a person who designs structures?

View on HN

Probably an engineer. After all, architects design buildings but, usually, they have nothing to do with the calculations and construction methods employed to build their design.

"Engineer" is a very generic term for a wide variety of fields. An architect is actually a specific type of engineer who not only designs buildings but also plans their construction. This requires intimate knowledge of the materials used; e.g. how long they will last, the forces they can withstand, etc., and you can bet there is a great deal of geometric calculations involved. You are mistaken if you believe an architect is simply a fancy term for "graphic design artist for buildings". Architects don't simply put onto paper whatever comes to mind without a care for practicality. After all, if it can't be built, you'd be out of a job very quickly.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com