Look around you: no matter where you are, surely an engineer participated in the construction of that space. Like the air we breathe, engineering is everywhere and we need it to live. Roma Agrawal presents in this book a novel access route to one of the main human activities, in which science and technology come together to allow us to inhabit a house, cross a bridge, obtain fresh water or say goodbye to our organic waste. Convinced that engineering is exciting and fun, and that it is a powerful tool for solving today's and tomorrow's problems, the author delves into the history of shapes, materials and construction techniques that have shaped the contemporary world and gets the reader to pay attention to how a simple brick, arch, building or entire city works. Anecdotes from her professional life, examples taken from all over the world —from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City to the traditional aqueducts of Iran, from the treatment of water in Singapore to the Florentine dome of Brunelleschi—, reflections on the urgency of more women Take part in a traditionally masculine profession, brushstrokes of humor: those are the constructive elements that keep this work standing and allow it to share with the reader the hidden keys of engineering.

"In a colloquial style, Agrawal weaves his accessible explanations of various scientific principles with historical accounts and personal anecdotes. And he goes back to the origins of each idea, before updating it with a contemporary example, a formula that allows him to delve into any subject and then come back. "
Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian

"Standing is an open celebration of structural engineering. The book balances new and innovative constructions very well with more than proven designs. Agrawal also refers to gender discrimination in the workplace; its vignettes can generate a #metoo in many readers, as they remind us how far we are, in engineering, from an inclusive work environment. "
Donna Riley, Science