Summary: In engineering, the transition from idea to product requires that the engineer produce clear proposals demonstrating the idea's practicality and economic feasibility. Smelser describes how writing is a key element in this process. Engineers don't need to know how to write.
Cradle to gate Cradle to gate is a boundary condition associated with embodied carbon, carbon footprint and LCA studies. A study to these boundaries considers all activities starting with the extraction of materials from the earth (the cradle), their transportation, refining, processing and fabrication activities until the material or product is ready to leave the factory gate.
Marriage Walls. The marriage wall is the wall between the modules of a prefab house. In a double wide modular home there's only one marriage wall. The marriage wall is a load bearing wall that is located inside conditioned space and does not require insulation. Since marriage walls do not require insulation they can be constructed using 2x3 and 2x4 studs at 16 inches on center