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Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) was a British engineer of great renown who worked on a variety of diverse projects and designs throughout his life. Brunel has been called, "one of the most versatile and audacious engineers of the 19th century," (Isambard Kingdom Brunel, BBC) and "an engineering dynamo,"(Encyclopedia of Bridges and Tunnels, Johnson and Leon, 51) among many accolades. Brunel served as chief engineer of the Bristol Docks, improving efficiency and designing steamships. Working as chief engineer of the Great Western Railway, Brunel oversaw construction of much of the railway infrastructure of England, most of which is still in service today.

Tunnels
Brunel began his foray into the world of structures at age 18. Appointed as his father's chief assistant, Brunel oversaw construction of the first tunnel under the Thames River in London, England, the first subaqueous tunnel in the world (one that is still in use today). Although he took a hiatus from tunneling, Brunel’s experience would serve him well when he helped design and oversaw construction of the Box Tunnel in 1841. Part of his work with the Great Western Railroad, the Box Tunnel was, "by far the most difficult single engineering work on the entire London to Bristol route," due to its steep incline (Network Rail). The work would take over four years to complete, relying heavily on Brunel’s ingenuity in plugging potentially disastrous leaks and keeping moisture out of the tunnel, and ultimately costing the lives of 32 workers (Johnson and Leon, 52).

Buildings
Brunel’s talent and ingenuity was further put on display in his building designs. Bristol's Temple Meads Station was the perfect example of Brunel's mastery of his craft. The terminus of the London to Bristol railroad connection of the Great Western Railway, the station's street entrance and office was designed in the ornate Tudor style, and the station itself boasted a huge train shed that covered the tracks and the platforms, a fairly luxurious concept at the time. Built on a strip of land between Floating Harbor and the River Avon, Brunel designed the station so it would sit atop a viaduct, to ensure that the railroad would be well above the water level of each body of water (Wikipedia). Brunel's ingenuity was showcased in 1855, when he was asked to design a new kind of field hospital for the British Army. As the Crimean War dragged, all Coalition troops faced unhealthy conditions, but wounded soldiers particularly so, due to the poor sanitation and ventilation in field hospitals. The famous Florence Nightingale appealed directly to Queen Victoria to help improve these terrible conditions, and so Brunel had the job of quickly designing and building a new field hospital (Johnson and Leon, 52-53). Completed and built in less than a year, his design was modular, prefabricated, and allowed for easy transportation and assembly. And, whether Brunel had intended to or not, his design, "had addressed the existing theories of epidemic spread... foul air, overcrowding, poor diet and poor ventilation" (I.K. Brunel's Crimean War Hospital, Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, C. G. Merridew,).

Bridges
It is for bridges, however, that Brunel is most well-known. Brunel's first bridge design, the Clifton Bridge over the Avon Gorge, was submitted in 1829, while Brunel was only 23. Brunel proposed what would be the longest suspension bridge span in the world at the time, which was met with some resistance given the poor safety record of suspension bridges at that time. Brunel however had confidence in his design, and pushed hard for his proposal given the fact that the alternative was supporting the bridge with piers in the river several hundred feet below, a costly proposition. Brunel finally prevailed over the design committee and his opponents and construction began in 1836 (seven years after he had submitted his original proposal). Despite not being completed until 1864 (after Brunel's death), the Clifton Bridge still stands today as a testament to both his engineering prowess and his persistence (Johnson and Leon, 77-79). His most recognizable (and arguably greatest) bridge design is the Royal Albert Bridge. Composed of stone piers and the unique feature of two lenticular truss spans, the Royal Albert is still in use today as a railway bridge, as Brunel intended (Johnson and Leon, 257-260).