From where I’m situated in Spain, you can see miles and miles of retaining walls, as far as the eye can see. Their purpose is obvious ~ to reduce soil erosion, allowing the olive trees to remain stable and fruitful.
What I didn’t learn until recently is that these walls were built by hand over 400 years ago. And man, are they built to last. Minus the occasional landslide, these walls are as they have been for longer than anything standing in North America. Built by farmers, by hand. Pretty remarkable stuff.
I got to thinking about what we build though, and whether we really think about the ultimate demise of said creation. I don’t believe there’s anything inherently bad about building something for short term (ie. prototypes, “gotta-have-Friday solutions”, etc.). I do think there’s a problem in not considering the longevity of the creation.
What are you building? How long is it designed to last?
