College of
Engineering
Sustainable Engineering
The Main Temple
The Stone Shrine
Team # 3
Claudia Reta
Miguel Fraga
David Valenzuela
June 9, 2015
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Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………..2
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………2
Theory and Development………………………………………………………………………...5
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………....9
References………………………………………………………………………………………10
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………...10
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Abstract
The main purpose of this document is to understand the 12 principles of green engineering
applied in the most beautiful place of this world with an amazing history and culture. Machu
Picchu is considered one of the most important places around the world being declared New
Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. The Inca culture applied the 12 principles of green
engineering without any knowledge regarding sustainability. Consequently, they used every
principle at the moment of the construction and management of the materials and resources.
Introduction
Engineering research at an archaeological site provides rich opportunities to learn more about the
basic knowledge and standard of care of ancient peoples. It deals with numbers, physics and
engineering relationships which the ancients had to master through trial and error. Machu Picchu
was and continues to be an excellent example of the application of the 12 sustainable engineering
principles; however, the Incas were not able to document their building techniques and the
concepts they applied to their infrastructure. It is very impressive to understand and analyze the
numerous engineering aspects in this archaeological wonder, Machu Picchu, since it has had
several locations to study and comprehend Sustainable Engineering concepts. For the purpose of
this paper, the Main Temple and the Stone Shrine will be the principle locations inside the city
that will be analyzed and compared to the Sustainable Engineering concepts in order to
understand how the Inca civilization managed to applied these concepts to the construction of
this archaeological wonder.
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Main Temple
The Main Temple was the most important building in the Inca Empire, because was
constructed to do ceremonies, sacrifices, and the sacred rituals of greater spiritual
significance for the city. For this reason, the construction and edification was more
detailed at the moment to organize every rectangular stone, because it is more delicate
and its texture was smooth with a better design. The stones had a specific dimensions,
size, and weight. Therefore, the most important Temples or houses were the most
beautiful edification around Machu Picchu.
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The Stone Shrine
The Stone Shrine is very easy to understand and apply the sustainable engineering,
because the Incas did recycling of every stone. Consequently, every stone has a principal
purpose that is satisfy the necessities of the Incas construction, if that stone does not work
in some place such temple or house that stone was worked by hand to do stairs,
foundation to other buildings, or divided by parts to do roads.
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Theory and Development
1ˢt Principle- Inherent rather than circumstantial.
Designers need to strive to ensure that all material and energy inputs and outputs are inherently
nonhazardous as possible.
In this case the Inca civilization thought very well at the moment to build the empire, because
they only used natural resources such as stone blocks and granite using large rectangular
building.
2nd Principle- Prevention instead of treatment.
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up the waste after it is formed.
The Machu Picchu was structured with a perfect aqueduct, and the drainage system allowing
maintaining separated dirty water and clean water. This system avoid diseases and drought
creating a better management of water use.
3ʳd Principle- Design for separation.
Separation and purification operation should be designed to minimize energy consumption and
materials use.
The Incas thought about the energy optimization using sunlight and the structure of their empire
it was designed to use all natural resources without affect the environment.
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4th Principle- Maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency.
Products, process, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy, space and time
efficiency.
The Machu Picchu was the perfect creation using all natural resources and maximizing the space,
because has an excellent location and design therefore the energy and time efficiency were
develop quickly.
5th Principle- Output-pulled versus input-pushed.
Products, process, and systems should be “output pulled” rather than “input pushed” through the
use of energy and materials.
In this case is very important to mention the Main Temple, because the Incas constructed respect
their necessities and every Temple or house had a specific purpose allowing maintaining the
space between the nature and the Incas.
6th Principle- Conserve complexity.
Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making design
choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition.
The most important thing to understand in the Inca Empire was that they did recycling during
their period of governance. In some cases when a Temple or house had destruction by the natural
phenomenon they reused the materials to rebuild the house or temple.
7th Principle- Durability rather than immortality.
Targeted durability, not immortality, should be design goal.
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The life cycle in Machu Picchu was the best because the empire began in the year of 1438 and
for this reason now days the empire continuous intact. Consequently, the materials, construction,
and design were the best.
8th Principle- Meet need, minimize excess.
Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (e.g., “one size fits all”) solutions should be
considered a design flaw.
Machu Picchu was the perfect size to maintain in good conditions all the empire without any
problem, because the Incas thought about structure and management at the moment to guide the
people around the different cities that had the Inca Empire.
9th Principle- Minimize material diversity
The diversity of the products should be minimized to guarantee the value of every component
behind any separation.
Looking at the infrastructure of Machu Picchu, we can observe that the main source of
construction of the Incas was the solid stone. This provides us with enough information to
conclude that the Incas tried to reduce the materials as much as possible.
If we talk about the tools they used to give shape to the stones, they we made out of stone as
well, they used chisels to give form to the stones so they could be ready to be placed on the spot
they were required.
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10th Principle- Integrate material and energy flows
Design of products, processes, and systems must include integration and interconnectivity with
available energy and materials flows.
Once we arrived to Machu Picchu we could observe that the Incas made this perfect hydraulic
system to prevent flooding’s in the city. The system is located under the city but we could
observe little canals in the outside that lead the water outside the walls of Machu Picchu. With
this innovative system, the Incas could even survive the famous phenomenon of “El ninio”. This
phenomenon is well known for its destructive force, destroying millions of houses and collapsing
bridges and houses. The hydraulic system of the Incas was perfectly built to avoid these disasters
impressing the scientist and engineers.
The Incas took advantage of this system to cultivate their crops as well; some of the canals
ejected the water from the houses and went directly to the harvest making it produce more with
abundance.
11th principle- Double use
Products, processes, and systems should be designed for possible applications subsequent in
every habitual use.
The civilization of the Incas was very famous for their immense communication system, “the
Inca trail”. This trail was made out of stone and dirt. The stones that were used in this trail were
the leftover of the stones that were used for construction. This trail is about 26 miles long and is
surrounded with beautiful scenery. The Incas should have reused big amounts of stone to build
the immense trail, making it one of the most famous trails in the world
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Also the Incas constructed bridges using the nature. By Machu Picchu there is bridge that is
made out of stone; these stones had a rectangular shape, not very perfect compared to the ones
that were used in the temples.
12th principle- Renewable rather than Depleting
Material and energy inputs should be renewable rather than exhausted.
The Incas were really smart to pick a really strong and durable material. Many people would
even think that stone could not be reusable, but it is. Picking a material that will never be
exhausted, the Incas took advantage of the gifts of nature to build their civilization and expand it
around South America.
Conclusion
The Inca Civilization was the civilization that changed the perspective of engineering, their
immense intellect helped them develop and construct one of the wonders of the world, Machu
Picchu. They not only applied the 12 principles of Engineering, but also applied something else,
they used the universe as their guide, and they knew the Pachamama (mother earth) and
respected her in every manner.
The Incas contributed with their offspring to the future engineers, the engineers that will use their
knowledge to create incredible systems, but it is up to us whether we want to use Mother Nature
as our guide or as our enemy.
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References

Green Engineering; Anastas, P.T., Heine I., Williamson T.C., Eds., American Chemical
Society: Washington, DC, 2000.

McAuley, J. Environment Issues Impacting Future Growth and Recovery of
Polypropylene in Automotive Design. In Proceeding form Society of Plastics Engineers,
Dearborn, MI, 1999, www.plasticresource.com/recylcing/ARC99.Mcauley.htm.

Lovins, A. Hypercars: The Next Industrial Revolution. In proceedings from IEEE
Aerospace Applications Conference, Snowmass, CO, 1996.
Appendix
The Inca Empire.
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The Main Temple
Agriculture
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Simple Houses
Important Houses
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Stone Roads
House Rebuilt
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a. Definition of Goals and Scope
The Machu Picchu had a main objective that is work with the environment without to affect the
nature, using the natural resources through the 12 principals of Green Engineering. It is very
important to analyze the all Inca Empire but the most important thing to mention is the Main
Temple and The Stone Shrine, because allow to understand the great culture and during the past
the Incas used engineering without to know.
b. Inventory Analysis
The materials that used in this empire are stone, and granite using with wood and water. All city
was created through natural resources.
c. Impact Assessment
The impact is very important because they do not damage the environment and the carbon
emissions are very lower. In some situations the Incas can affect the nature but only was at the
moment to use the wood or water, but these resources are renewable.
d. Interpretation
The Machu Picchu is the perfect city through all these years, because even though it was an old
city had in structure and modernization in their lifestyle Sustainable Engineering was the most
accurate and specific in this city.
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