Archive - Construction Physics

How to Build a $20 Billion Semiconductor Fab

For the last several decades, one avenue of technological progress has towered over nearly everything else: semiconductors.

May 3, 2024 • Brian Potter

Why It's So Hard to Build a Jet Engine

Civilization's toughest technical challenges are those that require extraordinary (and constantly improving) performance to be delivered at a low cost.

Feb 28, 2025 • Brian Potter

How to Build 300,000 Airplanes in Five Years

It’s no secret that the Allies won World War II on the back of the U.S.’s enormous industrial output.

May 23, 2024 • Brian Potter

Energy Cheat Sheet

Building an intuition about energy

Dec 20, 2024 • Brian Potter

Understanding Solar Energy

The biggest energy story of the last fifteen years is the rise of solar photovoltaics, also known as solar PV or simply solar panels.

Mar 20, 2025 • Brian Potter

How to Build an AI Data Center

This piece is the first in a new series from the Institute for Progress (IFP), called Compute in America: Building the Next Generation of AI…

Jun 10, 2024 • Brian Potter

50 Things I’ve Learned Writing Construction Physics

I’ve been writing Construction Physics since September of 2020.

Apr 17, 2025 • Brian Potter

Why Skyscrapers Became Glass Boxes

Everything put into the building that is unnecessary, every cubic foot that is used for purely ornamental purposes beyond that needed to express its use…

Jan 13, 2025 • Brian Potter

Will We Ever Get Fusion Power?

“Every one of the stars in the sky uses fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. Why shouldn’t we?”

Jun 26, 2024 • Brian Potter

Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?

This post is cross-posted at Noahpinion.

Sep 5, 2024 • Brian Potter

Where are Vacation Homes Located in the US?

As of 2023, the US has around 142.3 million housing units: roughly one home for every 2.4 people in the country.

Jul 24, 2025 • Brian Potter

Why Is It So Hard to Build an Airport?

Airports are a critical piece of modern infrastructure.

Mar 4, 2024 • Brian Potter

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