America the beautifully built

America, home of the free, land of the brave, sea to shining sea. Yup, this is 1 heck of a country we’ve got here. As we celebrate our great nation’s independence, we at AU want to recognize this country for being not only a place of amazing natural beauty, but also a place of astonishing achievements and amazing feats, a country that has been built and made. After all, America didn’t just appear. It was (and is) a project—constructed brick by brick, town by town, city by city, vision by vision. And in addition to the pioneers who settled this land and carved it from the wilderness, we think it’s only fitting to bring attention to those pioneers of a different sort—those who have found new ways to do and build things, who set unprecedented goals, and then devise innovative methods to achieve those goals. The American frontier may be a thing of the past, but the technological frontier is still alive and well. There are new pioneers out there today dreaming of and discovering news ways of making things. And AU is the premier place to find and learn from those pioneers. During July, we’ll be looking at some of our country’s most famous landmarks and architectural achievements—from the Statue of Liberty to the Washington Monument to Grand Central Station—and talking about the innovative processes that were used to build them. Then we’ll explore how today’s architects, designers, and engineers are innovating on those processes and pushing things forward with even bolder visions and groundbreaking methods. Look for more to come on this topic, keep an eye out for content on social media (you know how we love to tweet), and let’s take this month to celebrate the creativity that enables us to keep pushing the envelope; the expertise that makes more possible; and the very American desire to do more, create more, and be better. Ready to get started? Vote for your favorite American landmark in our Twitter poll. [caption id="attachment_1776" align="aligncenter" width="680"] Photo via ImageUSA[/caption]