[teddykan]

Engineering as we know today has evolved since man walked on two feet - it started with simple hand tools, then weapons, then big structures. The Industrial Revolution was another huge step where machines as we know today started to evolve. Those old engineered structures were based on sound design principles (that date back to as far as records, e.g. caveman drawings, began). These structures were built to last, and hence in many ways, over-engineered. Today, cost and supply of materials really come to the fore, and we follow codes and procedures to build structures which have finite life and service period. We don't (nor can afford to) build them today like how we used to.
teddykan