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Article on Anton Tedesko
The article describes the contribution that Anton Tedesko made in the engineering world by the introduction of the thin-shell concrete roofing idea and structures in the U.S. after the success of the use of the thin-shell concrete roofs, I believe that innovation of the same nature as that of Tedesko can be generated in the current times. This is because there are more technological developments in the development of concrete in current time, which will make facilitate better innovation on the approach.
In the push for the realization of the idea, Tedesko showed strong leadership skills that were perfected by his European experience. One of the leadership skills is excellent decision making skills. He was able to make the hard decisions, especially the decision of continuing with the introduction of the approach in the United States, despite being a possibility of being ignored as being a German approach (Hines & Billington, 2004). This shows how resilient and determined he was to introduce the thin-shell concrete roofing in America. At the same time, his experience in the European gave him a vision and the ability to influence the people he worked with to believe in the vision.
Another important leadership skill that we can learn from Tedesko is effective people skills and social skills. Leadership is more about influencing people and guiding their efforts towards a vision. After envisioning the desire to introduce the thin shell concrete roof, he created a team that was confident in his ambition. One of the people he influenced John E. Kalinka. While the project was not as optimistic as they thought, Tedesko pushed on with his mission. This way, he was able to guide the people he worked with towards the success of the realization of thin shell concrete roof in the United States.
The current engineering practice can therefore learn the importance of leadership skills in addition to the engineering expertise. In addition, current engineers should be willing to embrace innovation so that they can introduce more solutions to the people. This is particularly important because Tedesko presents an approach that is consistent with the future structural engineering. The approach is in line with the international approach as it combines the ideas of Tedesko, American application and the European experiences. The consistency of his approach influenced the American engineers to embrace it as he practiced and not as a German engineering footprint (Hines & Billington, 2004). This is the reason why his leadership was much more important in influencing the adoption of the thin shell concrete roofs in the U.S.
The thin shell concrete roof approach is consistent with the future of engineering because of the growing need for such an approach to building of modern structures. The application of the approach by Tedesko can be implemented in the construction of boat hulls, airplanes and fuselages among other types of structures. This is because these structures require light and thin roof that is strong at the same time. These requirements make the thin shell concrete roof by Tedesko an approach that is consistent with the future of engineering. Moreover, the approach is open to innovation and further development by the modern engineers. Therefore, the Tedesko approach can be applied in the current and future trends in engineering.
Reference
Hines, E.M., Billington, D.P. (2004). “Anton Tedesko and the introduction of thin shell concrete roofs in the United States,” Journal of Structural Engineering-Asce, v.130, 2004, p. 1639.