The Speed of Light for Building Pyramids

Last year, Steve Burrows, CBE, (Principal at the engineering consulting firm ARUP) spent several weeks in Egypt studying the pyramids through the eyes of a modern-day structural engineer. The result, which was presented in a documentary for the “Discovery Channel” and published in an article for “DesignIntelligence,” presented fascinating insights into the design of the pyramids and offers some lessons in how we may think about sustainability through longevity in modern architecture.

Burrows’s research reveals that some of the same practical considerations that structural engineers and architects contend with today, may have driven all the major decisions about the design and construction of the Giza Pyramids.

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Steve Burrows “Engineering the Impossible”, photo © Arup
  1. Tina

    I am Egyptian and I loved what you did in this episode and how you discussed the great pyramid in a new and different perspective. Love the arabic song in the end, Chapeau =)

  2. tim

    The latitude of the pyramid in decimal degrees can match a sequence of numbers expressing the speed of light if you look hard enough for it, but that phenomenon is nothing more than coincidence.

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