It’s almost six years since Leeds-based engineer Mark Steele took a call from Steve Ward, the pioneering force behind a bid to construct a giant pyramid dedicated to peace and the environment. The rest, as they say, is history in a very real sense.
Mark, an engineering specialist at the global construction consultancy Arup, commented: “In late 2011, Steve was seeking guidance on how to construct the pyramid and he was put in touch with me. Since then I have been supporting Steve on a pro bono basis, providing design & construction related technical advice to help realise his vision.”
The Earth Pyramid project started eight years ago when Steve’s young daughter asked him ‘what about our future?’ after watching the Copenhagen climate talks break down.
“As a result,” explained Steve “We decided to come up with a project that would allow people to record their emotions about our planet and its direction of travel within thousands of time capsules incorporated within a giant pyramid, the biggest built since the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs and the largest time capsule in the world!”
Steve has already pulled together a core team of people, including Mark, with the key skills to advise on the different aspects of the project and is currently working hard to secure land and seed funding for a Yorkshire-based pyramid, which will give him the opportunity to make a start on a more manageable scale and will no doubt provide valuable experience for the full scale Pyramid.
“The aims of the Earth Pyramid to raise awareness and funding for environmental initiatives and get them on the global educational curriculum struck a chord with us. There is also the not inconsiderable carrot of designing and building a real pyramid!” added Mark.
Mark is advising Steve on all matters related to the design and construction of the Pyramid and the infrastructure and facilities required to support it.
Mark continued: “Because it is unique in so many respects, there are many challenges which will test modern construction. For example the materials will need to have as low an environmental impact as possible and remain stable for over 1,000 years. The form of construction is essentially a huge 3D jigsaw puzzle, which will test our modelling skills and we want to test theories on the construction of the great pyramids in Egypt, which will require labour intensive methods. These could give rise to very unusual construction management and health and safety issues!”
Steve summed up the project: “There will be four chambers within the pyramid dedicated to children, digital preservation, government and indigenous peoples and founders with each containing records and testimonials from millions of people around the globe.
“The foundation stones of the pyramid itself will be constructed from various rocks from across the globe.
“It’s a legacy for future generations about our time on this planet and people in the future can see what we thought about our world,” added Steve who hails originally from New Zealand and runs a fencing contracting business in Leeds.
The final word belongs to Mark who is undoubtedly enthused by the task at hand: “After 4,500 years we’ll attempt to improve our understanding of how the Egyptian pyramids were built…by building a new one! I’ve been involved with projects which are much bigger in scale but none which even approaches the uniqueness of this pyramid!”