Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment
Engineering in Plain Sight is a beautifully illustrated field guide with accessible explanations to nearly every part of the constructed world around us.

Author Grady Hillhouse is the creator behind the popular YouTube channel Practical Engineering (over 3 million subscribers!) and this book is essentially 50 new episodes crammed between two covers.


Engineering in Plain Sight extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures, making them approachable and understandable to non-engineers. It transforms readers' perspectives of the built environment, converting the act of looking at infrastructure from a mundane inevitability into an everyday diversion and joy.

Each section of this accessible, informative book features colorful illustrations revealing the fascinating details of how the human-made world works. An ideal road trip companion, this book offers a fresh perspective on the parts of the environment that often blend into the background. Readers will learn to identify characteristics of the electrical grid, roadways, railways, bridges, tunnels, waterways, and more. Engineering in Plain Sight inspires curiosity, interest, and engagement in how the infrastructure around us is designed and constructed.
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Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment
Engineering in Plain Sight is a beautifully illustrated field guide with accessible explanations to nearly every part of the constructed world around us.

Author Grady Hillhouse is the creator behind the popular YouTube channel Practical Engineering (over 3 million subscribers!) and this book is essentially 50 new episodes crammed between two covers.


Engineering in Plain Sight extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures, making them approachable and understandable to non-engineers. It transforms readers' perspectives of the built environment, converting the act of looking at infrastructure from a mundane inevitability into an everyday diversion and joy.

Each section of this accessible, informative book features colorful illustrations revealing the fascinating details of how the human-made world works. An ideal road trip companion, this book offers a fresh perspective on the parts of the environment that often blend into the background. Readers will learn to identify characteristics of the electrical grid, roadways, railways, bridges, tunnels, waterways, and more. Engineering in Plain Sight inspires curiosity, interest, and engagement in how the infrastructure around us is designed and constructed.
39.99 In Stock
Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment

Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment

by Grady Hillhouse
Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment

Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment

by Grady Hillhouse

Hardcover(Combined volume)

$39.99 
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Overview

Engineering in Plain Sight is a beautifully illustrated field guide with accessible explanations to nearly every part of the constructed world around us.

Author Grady Hillhouse is the creator behind the popular YouTube channel Practical Engineering (over 3 million subscribers!) and this book is essentially 50 new episodes crammed between two covers.


Engineering in Plain Sight extends the field guide genre from natural phenomena to human-made structures, making them approachable and understandable to non-engineers. It transforms readers' perspectives of the built environment, converting the act of looking at infrastructure from a mundane inevitability into an everyday diversion and joy.

Each section of this accessible, informative book features colorful illustrations revealing the fascinating details of how the human-made world works. An ideal road trip companion, this book offers a fresh perspective on the parts of the environment that often blend into the background. Readers will learn to identify characteristics of the electrical grid, roadways, railways, bridges, tunnels, waterways, and more. Engineering in Plain Sight inspires curiosity, interest, and engagement in how the infrastructure around us is designed and constructed.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781718502321
Publisher: No Starch Press
Publication date: 11/01/2022
Edition description: Combined volume
Pages: 264
Sales rank: 487
Product dimensions: 8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Grady Hillhouse is a civil engineer and science communicator widely known for his educational video series Practical Engineering, currently one of the largest engineering channels on YouTube with over 3 million subscribers and millions of views each month. His videos, which focus on infrastructure and the human-made environment, have garnered media attention from around the world and been featured on both the Science Channel and Discovery Channel in addition to many other publications. Before producing videos full time, Hillhouse spent nearly ten years as an engineering consultant, working on a wide variety of infrastructure projects with a focus on dams and hydraulic structures. He holds degrees from Texas State University and Texas A&M University.

Table of Contents

Introduction x

1 Electrical Grid 1

Introduction 1

Overview of the Electrical Grid 3

Thermal Power Stations 7

Wind Farms 11

Transmission Towers 15

Transmission Line Components 19

Substations 23

Substation Equipment 27

Typical Utility Pole 31

Electrical Distribution Equipment 35

2 Communications 39

Introduction 39

Overhead Telecommunications 41

Underground Telecommunications 45

Radio Antenna Towers 49

Satellite Communications 53

Cellular Communications 57

3 Roadways 61

Introduction 61

Urban Arterial and Collector Roads 63

Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure 67

Traffic Signals 71

Traffic Signs and Markings 75

Highway Earthwork and Retaining Walls 79

Typical Highway Section 83

Typical Highway Layout 87

Interchanges 91

4 Bridges and Tunnels 95

Introduction 95

Types of Bridges 97

Typical Bridge Section 101

Overview of Tunnels 105

Tunnel Cross Section 109

5 Railways 113

Introduction 113

Railroad Tracks 115

Switches and Signals 119

Grade Crossings 123

Electrified Railways 127

6 Dams, Levees, and Coastal Structures 131

Introduction 131

Shore Protection Structures 133

Ports 137

Locks 141

Levees and Floodwalls 145

Concrete Dams 149

Embankment Dams 153

Spillways and Outlet Works 157

7 Municipal Water and Wastewater 161

Introduction 161

Intakes and Pumping Stations 163

Wells 167

Transmission Pipelines and Aqueducts 171

Water Treatment Plants 175

Water Distribution Systems 179

Water Towers and Tanks 183

Sanitary Sewers and Lift Stations 187

Wastewater Treatment Plants 191

Stormwater Collection 195

8 Construction 199

Introduction 199

Typical Construction Site 201

Cranes 205

Construction Machines 209

Acknowledgments 213

Glossary 215

Index 239

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