Journal: Construction History

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Publisher

Carfax

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ISSN

0267-7768

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2021 - 20222
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Publications 1 - 2 of 2
  • An industry in transition: on the network of early glue-laminated timber production in Switzerland
    Item type: Journal Article
    Rinke, Mario; Haddadi, Roshanak (2022)
    Construction History
    When glulam was introduced in Switzerland in 1908, the initiators promised to modernize and expand the possibilities of the old building material wood. Through precise industrial fabrication, the new shapable and large-scale components established timber in modern building and infrastructure construction. Not only did the material undergo a transformation, but vice versa, the new wood also caused a transformation of the building sector itself, including its actors. New design and construction procedures required both new technical knowledge and collaborations between different established and emerging specialists leading to a new network of timber production in Switzerland. This paper traces the roles of stakeholders in an industry in transition and demonstrates that the success of the technology benefited greatly from the already existing crisis in the timber construction sector and shifted power and competence towards technical engineering and fabrication. Ironically, the rapid and widespread establishment of glulam was possible primarily because of the high level of craftsmanship and construction expertise on the side of the contractors but reduced this precisely because of the disempowerment of the construction site.
  • On the role of temporary works. From medieval to early industrial construction
    Item type: Journal Article
    Holzer, Stefan M. (2021)
    Construction History
    Processes on construction sites for buildings rely on temporary works such as scaffolding, centring and lifting equipment. All these auxiliary works are dependent on each other. They are strongly determined by the issues of transport of labour and material on site. The type of crane available has direct consequences on the type of scaffold to be employed, and vice versa. Another important influence is the type of material used. Movement of single largesize blocks requires different auxiliary structures from those used for the transport of large quantities of small materials. The present contribution highlights the interdependencies between scaffolding, cranes, and materials and structures, and attempts to sketch an outline of the history of auxiliary construction site works from Early Medieval to Early Industrial times.
Publications 1 - 2 of 2