Sure I know the difference. I have actally been involved in building things. My NC General Contractors license is now dead, but I drew #22500, when it was issued. The numbers are over 100k now. It was a General category license, as opposed to a limited Residential offering. I have built houses and commercial structures. All of my houses have withstood storms on the beachfront, where they were erected.
I was also quality control for the concrete supplier for the Nuclear Power plant at Southport, NC. I was also the quality control guy for a number of bridge and road contracts, including the Cape fear River drawbridge. I have hands-on practical experience with execution.
You sit in a room with a drawing board/computer screen, and dream up things you THINK will work..
Your Rube Goldberg idea is exactly that. You may design things which look good on paper, or in scale models, but the actual execution would be prohibitively expensive (that 10% fee really adds up, doesn't it), and functionally dead after the first storm, no matter what your credentials.
Stick with things that can actually be produced. Your flood road wouldn't ever get off the ground (sic)! You can't pour enough concrete to stop a hurricane. You may slow the erosion, but it will erode!
I know all about architects. I even had one design a supporting glass wall... and assured me it would function. I refused the project, unless redesigned. They found another guy to build it, and sure enough...glass doesn't make for a supporting wall! But, what do I know...?
