One of my biggest passions growing up was architecture. I would travel as far as my parents would take me to see some of the oldest, craziest, and widely proclaimed buildings the world had to offer. For that reason Boston seemed like an obvious location to attend college. However, it was during my initial college visits that I realized what I really wanted to do. It wasn’t architecture. It was engineering.
I have come to Northeastern University to major in Civil Engineering. The reason for that is all because of a rickety set of stairs and a sagging floor. As I am sure you have learned from living in the Boston area or going to school at Northeastern, Boston is a city of beautiful old buildings. Brown stones and oaks line our streets and ornate works of art such as the YMCA stand on our campus. But unfortunately these structures are failing, as all old buildings do and what they need is just a little bit of attention. Moving from the stetson residence halls to a leased property on saint stephen street after my freshman year I realized that the one thing people don’t like to do is invest in a fixer upper. Institutions like Northeastern and property management companies such as Alpha Realty would rather use a building till it’s condemned and then knock it down to put in a utilitarian cinderblock box than invest in a piece of history.
One of my biggest inspirations in the structural engineering community is a man named Santiago Calatrava. Although better known as the architect of such buildings as the new world trade center train station in New York City and the Milwaukee art museum, he is in fact a world renowned engineer as well. I think that his work is a stunning example of how structural systems and the bones of a building can truly shine and compliment the aesthetic of the building overall. So much of our architectural history here in America is underappreciated and forgotten simply due to convenience and lack of understanding. When we look to countries like Germany, Switzerland, and France we see numerous examples of old buildings that were preserved and modernized while still maintaining the historical significance of the structure. It is my hope to one day work in an industry that is not simply about demolition and new construction, but one that can take the essence of a beautiful old thing and make it safe and great again.
