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Balmond, however, might never get what he wants - public acclaim. It's not his place to be in the public eye. Structural engineers are meant to stay behind the scenes and work to bridge the gap between the architect and the builder. They measure forces and calculate load. They plan a building's foundation and place the columns that will bear its weight. Typically, engineers design the core - that is, the elevators and stairs at the center of a skyscraper - and often the facade as well. When an architect says, "I want glazed bronze glass that lets in only a certain amount of light and looks gold at sunset," it's the engineers who interview window manufacturers and evaluate their cladding systems. The results of this painstaking process are working drawings that spec out every last fixture. Builders can't even begin without them. Balmond's goal - outlined in a monograph, Informal, to be published this June - is to offer a new structure for architecture.
Engineers, as a rule, find glory in structural firsts and feats. Balmond calls it the "macho-ness of structure - the tallest, the thinnest."
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