Page 100 - The Miracle in the Spider

100 THE MIRACLE IN THE SPIDER

instance, the web of the crested, or dew spider is quite perfect from the

aesthetic and engineering point of view. These spiders make their webs at
a horizontal angle, in such a way as to make them resemble a sheet, on
meadow grasses. Using upright blades as load-bearers, they distribute the
overall weight of the web.
Man has copied this method in order to cover large areas. The
Munich Olympic Stadium and Jeddah Airport terminal, often quoted as
examples of modern architecture, were built using these spiders' webs as
an example.
Spiders have been using these models, which man has produced by
imitation, all over the world since they first emerged. Of course a fair
degree of engineering knowledge is needed for such models to emerge
and to be put into practice. But spiders know nothing about either
construction engineering or architectural planning, having received no