Design

There can be no finer test of marine engineering than sea trials. I remember a good friend of mine who worked for the Admiralty as an engineering inspector telling me about the time he was despatched to inspect a submarine following a refit. He had with him a young naval graduate whose job it was prior to embarkation to check all the valves on the submarine. For those of you who do not know, these are the things that fill or empty the skirt. If they do not work the submarine stays wherever it is. If it happens to be on the sea bed or below the surface this is obviously going to be a problem.

Tom’s new recruit came back in under an hour reporting that they were all working perfectly. There are around 50 items to check. Raising an eyebrow Tom looked directly at the young lad and said ‘really’ then paused for a second then added ‘you are going on sea trials aren’t you?’ At that moment Tom said the full enormity of his ‘quick check’ registered with him. Tom recalled I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, then he announced I think I will just go and check them again. Six and a half hours later he re-appeared satisfied but Tom did detect more than a casual air of tension when the first dive procedure was engaged during sea trials. The ship in the picture leaving harbour must cause the engineers the same concern and even more so the people who built the original version who had a fraction of the tools and knowledge we do today. I still think to see a tall ship engaging with the elements is engineering art in motion.

Last week on the first May Bank Holiday weekend 2010 I visited Saltaire Mill. I think you will agree with me that the watercolour interpretation does it justice and it is undeniably art in this context with its allotments neatly laid out and lovingly tendered by the 2010 Resident Owners. It was sold off, I believe, in the sixties to raise money for the main mill operation which had around 20 years life left at that time, The designers, if my memory serves me correctly, created the mill architecture in very much an Italian style which in itself is a very pleasing art form and easy on the eye. However it is not quite so easy to calculate the loadings, especially when there are 6 levels with heavy duty floors to support the very heavy mill machinery, therefore in this context and at this point, art and science engage under the umbrella of engineering.

On initial inspection the whole site looks perfect in terms of engineering and architecture but closer examination soon shows up weaknesses caused by ground slip, vibration and years of use. However even after all this time or perhaps because of all this time, it produces a pleasing watercolour to grace the wall of any boardroom or reception. In fact engineering art has a place in most public places, airports, particularly town halls and civic centres, art galleries, education centres and industry should all display their history with pride. There is always an artistic interpretation of even the grimmest of engineering examples.

On this basis at Engineered Solutions we are happy to commission engineering art and will survey for it and quote accordingly so when you are building your new factory extension or going through a structural re-organisation you can record the events in an imaginative and artistic way as a proud talking point for your customers, suppliers and colleagues alike. I was at Heathrow Airport ten days ago and on the wall of a major building services provider were black and white framed photographs depicting an entire airline history. You might not think this was amazing but when I tell you every single one was picked out of the scrap skip along with models and other memorabilia, you may be excused a sharp intake of breath. Quite apart from their worth, they had an obvious historic value. Although his offices were no more than Second World War Nissen huts, the corridors were transformed into art galleries and it had a profound affect on me and I am sure anybody else who will ever be lucky enough to witness such interesting material in a Nissen hut which has survived from the original aerodrome and is a major maintenance section to all the new terminal blocks. When there is a problem with the T.V. in the waiting lounge, the maintenance call goes straight to this amazing little office and a hive of activity kicks into action.

This next piece on the right is by the same artist. She is a very talented person and specialises in street art and buildings and some of her interpretations, I think you will agree, are very special. The one on the right is in fact New York but I know the road through Leith in Edinburgh, across the canal dock, looks very similar on a wet day. These are lovely boardroom pieces and are available for you to personally commission through your architect or direct from us to complement your work place, or any working place for that matter.

Talking of work places, you would not think Battersea Power Station could ever be a work of art. However in the setting to the left it is nothing less and English Heritage may wish to reconsider their verdict. It is the largest brick building in Europe. I would think only the Theipval Memorial on the Somme containing over 70,000 names of the fallen from the 1916 Offensive comes close to rivalling it. The Offensive also claimed the life of one of my great uncles about whom I amazingly found a detailed account of his last day on the planet in a successful assault on the Schwaben Redoubt. Although he was killed in this attempt, his company managed to make it back to their trenches. It was not then successfully retaken until 14th October that year by the Cambridgeshires. Although his grave is unmarked, I believe I found it on the north wall of the Mill Road Cemetery right where he should have been and probably within a few feet from where he was killed.

On the left the Thames Skyline at Canary Wharf by the same artist. Another amazing example of engineering and art combined to produce an amazing working environment. Perhaps you have your own working model in mind that we can reproduce for your reception or if you are a local authority, we could produce pieces to adorn your entrance or galleries lest we forget the huge effort our engineers, artists and scientists have, and are constantly working together to produce. So, if you think your warehouse looks boring, your factory uninteresting, the industrial estate is an eye sore, think again. Give it to me and I will paint a different picture of it for you.