Open AccessDecisions theory in earthquake engineering
Author(s) -
Emilio Rosenbluéth
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
bulletin of the new zealand society for earthquake engineering/nzsee quarterly bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.917
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2324-1543
pISSN - 1174-9857
DOI - 10.5459/bnzsee.5.1.1-13
Subject(s) - compromise , simplicity , point (geometry) , government (linguistics) , computer science , law and economics , risk analysis (engineering) , operations research , architectural engineering , business , economics , engineering , law , political science , mathematics , epistemology , philosophy , linguistics , geometry
Let us choose to be rational. As designers we shall aim to produce the best designs possible - to optimize. To optimize from whose point of view? Ours, of course. This does not mean we should ignore society, the tenants, or the owner, nor even the architect and the contractor; their interests mould our own. For the sake of simplicity I shall assume that our values coincide with those of society. If the owner’s, the architect’s, or the contractor’s do not, why too bad for them, or for us. The present treatment should serve as a guide to take the compromise decisions that real situations force upon us; and it is directly applicable when we are employed by a branch of a government that represents the people.