88 The Body

It is interesting thinking about the role of the carpenter and how it relates to the role of the engineer and the architect. The best product comes from a balance of input from all of the above. Let take a building for example. An architect, engineer, and carpenter have three different roles and three different perspectives. The best plans made reflect a balanced view of all these perspectives. An architect's creativity and flair is balanced by the engineers practicality, utility, and efficiency. Together they may put plans together that are truly unique and amazing. However without the carpenter's input the application of these plans may not be possible. While the engineer tries to foresee what he can, there is no substitute to practical experience. This negates the fact that without the role of the carpenter the plans for a building would remain plans instead of reality. Too much weight on the carpenter though winds up with a structure that is simpler and less grand than it could be with the strong likelihood that it is overbuilt, because the carpenter will take educated guesses rather than be able to calculate the different needs for strength.