We perceive in the colossal, in the enormous and grandiose an attraction, a charm of its own that responds to its own laws. Could we maintain that it is because of their aesthetic value that the Pyramids have made such a deep impression on the souls of men? After all, what else are they but artificial mounds? But, on the contrary, no one remains indifferent in their presence. And what is the source of this astonishment, if not the immensity of the effort and the grandeur of the result? The fruition that such immense constructions produce in us lies in the perception of the exquisite and enormous manual work that they express.
Today we not only appreciate great works of architecture and civil engineering once they are finished, but we are also drawn to the process of construction and the beautiful images they inspire. In this National Geographic article, we take a look at photographs of the unsung heroes who have literally built the world with their hands:
Photographs appear of construction workers braving the heights without harnesses, playing the harmonica or eating lunch, being carried to the top of the site on a crane cable. Construction workers walk the cables of the Brooklyn Suspension Bridge wearing elegant hats instead of helmets. We can see in fantastic drawings the love that ancient masons put into using a plumb line, carving a capital or stripping a slate stone.
We look with great interest at a photo in London showing a visit to the construction work on the House of Commons tower in the background of Big Ben. The builders walk on the planks of a very weak and irregular scaffolding at the same level as the famous clock, without any protection but with astonishing ease. Moving are the images taken of the braceros of grandiose civil works during the breaks. They are dressed in suits, smiling and covered with caps, aware of the importance of the infrastructure they are building and the value and beauty of their own work.
At Antana we maintain the same consideration for the construction of buildings as those heroes who built the world with their hands, putting all our craft and know-how into our work and being aware of the permanence of our works.
