ROMAN AQUEDUCTS
Rome wasn’t built in a day — and it wouldn’t have worked without water. Roman aqueducts carried fresh water across long distances using only gravity and precise slopes.
The engineering was in the details: arches for strength, tunnels through hills, and just the right angle — about 1 meter drop per 1000 meters forward. Too steep? Water rushes. Too flat? It stalls.
Aqueducts powered public baths, fountains, and private homes — a massive civic system with minimal machinery. They show how passive design can achieve powerful results.
Engineering Lens: Gravity is free. Use it well.
Memory trick: Too steep or too flat = bad flow.
What to remember
- Just the right slope: a Goldilocks angle for water flow.
- Use arches: span wide distances with minimal material.
- Minimal maintenance: long-term reliability built in.
- Water is infrastructure: not a luxury — a system.