History of Construction

Le origini dell'architettura in pietra a Roma

by Gabriele Cifani

in L. KARLSSON. R. BRANDT (eds.), From Huts to Houses. Transformation of Ancient Societies (Acts of the Seminar, Rome 22-25 Sept. 1997), Stockholm
2001, pp. 55-61.

Italian's" forms" and Local Masonry in Early French Renaissance: The Stone Coffered Ceilings Called" voutes-plates", from the Castle of Gaillon to the Bouton …

by Flaminia Bardati

Supplying of masonry materials in the construction of the Crypt of Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena, Madrid, Spain, 1883-1911

by Miguel Gomez-Heras

Tempio di Giove Capitolino

by Gabriele Cifani

published in G. Cifani, L'Architettura romana arcaica. Edilizia e società tra Monarchia e Repubblica, Roma, L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2008, pp. 80-109.

Operation motorway': landscapes of construction on England's M1 motorway

by Peter Merriman

Publsihed in 2005 in the "Journal of Historical Geography", volume 31(1), pp.113-133.

Transmission and Recall: the use of short wall anchors in the wide world

by Pat Reynolds

This thesis considers the use of a little-known building technique: short wall anchor construction. Ignored by its... more This thesis considers the use of a little-known building technique: short wall anchor construction. Ignored by its users and misunderstood by many of those who observed it subsequently, the short wall anchor construction technique has proved a useful window into the perception and behaviour of early modern people and subsequent communities.
Using the technology of the late twentieth century: the relational database, digital mapping and the internet I have taken a world-wide approach to analyse and interpret the short wall anchor as a feature
within an assemblage.
This analysis, and a study of the processes and contexts of transmission has demonstrated a close connection between display, narrative and identity and the building façade. Short wall anchors give insight into these practices in the early modern world - the whole world - where new relationships between people, places and things were being forged.
569 pages, 156 illustrations (all in colour), 5 maps (all in colour), 10 tables, bibliograply, CD of entire thesis, including animated maps and database.

Master, look at the size of those stones! Look at the size of those buildings!

by Daniel Lohmann

Kropp, A., Lohmann, D.: 'Master, look at the size of those stones! Look at the size of those buildings!'
Analogies in Construction Techniques Between the Temples at Heliopolis (Baalbek) and Jerusalem
Philip, G. (Hrsg.): Levant, Vol.43, No.1
Maney Publishing, 2011
ISBN: 0075-8914

Ever since the German excavations at the turn of the 20th century, the famous ruins of Baalbek have been held up as a... more Ever since the German excavations at the turn of the 20th century, the famous ruins of Baalbek have been held up as a prime example of Roman architecture in the Levant. But, despite their familiarity, it is virtually unknown both to the public and to academia that the colossal Temple of Jupiter contains the remains of an earlier building phase, ‘podium 1’, beneath the six giant columns. This article presents some preliminary results of the first detailed architectural survey of the first-phase podium. It will be shown that the masonry has striking, and somewhat surprising, parallels to contemporary building projects in Herodian Judaea. These correspondences provide a rough date for ‘podium 1’ and suggest some kind of Herodian involvement in the construction of the temple at Heliopolis, though its precise nature remains to be determined.

Drafting and Designing

by Daniel Lohmann

Lohmann, D.: Drafting and Designing
Roman Architectural Drawings and their Meaning for the Construction of Heliopolis/ Baalbek lebanon
Kurrer, K.-E., Lorenz, W., Wetzk, V. (Hrsg.): Proceedings, Third International Congress on Construction History
BTU Cottbus, Cottbus 2009
ISBN: 978-3-936033-31-1

• Bautechnik von Tabernakelfassaden des 2. Jh.s n. Chr. in Ephesos und Kleinasien, in: M. Bachmann (Hrsg.), Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien. Internationale Konferenz 2007 in Istanbul, Byzas 9 (Istanbul 2009) 455–467.

by Ursula Quatember

G. CIFANI, I grandi cantieri della Roma arcaica: aspetti tecnici e organizzativi”, in Anejos de archivio espanol de arqueologìa LVII, 2010, 35-50.

by Gabriele Cifani

Auguste Choisy and the Economics of Roman Construction

by Lynne Lancaster

In Javier Girón, Santiago Huerta (eds), August Choisy (1841-1909) l'architecture et l'art de bâtir : (actas del Simposio Internacional celebrado en Madrid, November 19-20, 2009): 307-328

Early Examples of So-Called Pitched Brick Barrel Vaulting in Roman Greece and Asia Minor: A Question of Origin and Intention

by Lynne Lancaster

In M. Bachmann (ed.), Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien (Proceedings of an International Conference June 13-16, 2007) Byzas 9 (2009): 371-391

I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia... more I examine the early examples of the so–called pitched brick vaulting technique in barrel vaults in Greece and Asia Minor. I make the distinction between bricks set vertically and those that are truly pitched because the distinction can shed light on both the use and origin of the technique in the Roman world. Particular attention is given to the earliest and largest example known, Bath A at Argos, Greece, and then examples from 2nd – 3rd-century Asia Minor are presented. I argue that the large spanned examples were intended not to reduce the amount of wood used for centering as commonly assumed but rather as a means of reinforcing the crown of the vaults by making them less susceptible to cracking. I suggest that the inspiration for the Roman use of the technique comes directly from Mesopotamia, as opposed to Egypt, through contact via military interventions against the Parthians and Sassanids in the 1st – 3rd centuries AD.

Parthian Influence on Vaulting In Roman Greece? An Inquiry Into Technological Exchange Under Hadrian

by Lynne Lancaster

American Journal of Archaeology 114 (2010): 447-472 (can't post this due to AJA copyright agreement)

The earliest known Roman examples of pitched-brick vaulting appear in hydraulic systems in the first half of the... more The earliest known Roman examples of pitched-brick vaulting appear in hydraulic systems in the first half of the second century C.E. at Athens, Eleusis, and Argos, while others at Dion and Gortyn may also date from the same period. I argue, based on an analysis of the constructional details, that the technique was introduced from Parthia by military construction experts specializing in hydraulics, who had been involved in Trajan’s Parthian War and, upon returning to home bases in the West, brought new construction techniques. The examples from Athens occur in the Hadrianic aqueduct and thus can be securely dated to the period just after the war. Those from Eleusis, which also relate to an aqueduct project, can likewise be dated to the reign of Hadrian or Antoninus Pius. The most impressive example occurs at the so-called Serapeum (Bath A) at Argos, which is among the largest known barrel vaults using this technique. It has been dated by the excavators to ca. 100 C.E.; however, I argue that this structure was originally built somewhat later, under Hadrian, and that it was part of a larger project at Argos.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Turkey and Tunisia

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra, and G. Ventura. Published in Archaeometry 52.6 (2010) 949-961; doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2009.00509.x

Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage,... more Samples of four lightweight volcanic rocks from the vaults of Roman bath buildings in modern Tunisia (Carthage, Leptiminus) and Turkey (Anazarbos, Elaeussa Sebaste) were analyzed by means of thin section, XRF, and LA-ICP-MS to determine their provenances. Both samples from Turkey came from the Ceyhan-Osmaniye volcanic district in Smooth Cilicia. The use of the scoria at Elaeussa Sebaste, which is outside this volcanic district, was likely the result of cabotage along the southern coast of Asia Minor. Of the Tunisian samples, the one from Carthage is a product of Sardinia whereas the one from Leptiminus is a product of Pantelleria. Both samples from Tunisia came from nearby volcanic islands that also produced lava grain mills, many of which were destined for North Africa; therefore the lightweight scoria and pumice in Tunisia likely arrived at the building sites as secondary cargos on established regional trade routes.

Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence from Rome

by Lynne Lancaster

Co-authors: G. Sottili, F. Marra and G. Ventura. "Provenancing of lightweight volcanic stones used in ancient Roman concrete vaulting: evidence from Rome" Archaeometry (2011); doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2010.00565.x

This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient... more This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient Rome. The geochemical signatures of dark scoria indicates a provenance of the 36–18 ka lavas of Vesuvius, as opposed to the more recent events on which Pompeii was built, as previously thought. The light-coloured pumices analysed, which were originally thought to belong to the Sabatini volcanic system (north of Rome), corresponded instead to products from Campi Flegrei. These results provoke re-evaluation of the trade and acquisition of these specialized materials destined for imperial projects in the capital city.

Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa

by Lynne Lancaster

"Ash Mortar and Vaulting Tubes: Agricultural Production and the Building Industry in North Africa" In : S. Camporeale, H. Dessales, and A. Pizzo (eds.), Les chantiers de construction de l’Italie et des provinces romaines: 3e rencontre. L’économie des chantiers (Paris, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 10-11 décembre 2009) (FORTHCOMING).

In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected... more In this paper I examine two building materials that illustrate the way in which agricultural practices affected choices in the building industry in North Africa. The first is the use of ash from cereals and herbivore manure as a pozzolanic additive for creating a hydraulic mortar. Recent experimental studies have shown that ash from wheat straw and herbivore manure, which are high in silica, produce a pozzolanic reaction when mixed with lime mortar. The mortar of linings in cisterns in North Africa often contain ash, and I suggest that wheat and manure are the likely sources of this ash. The second technique is the use of terracotta vaulting tubes, the proliferation of which began in the area of modern Tunisia during the 3rd century A.D. I suggest that this phenomenon can be related to imperial agricultural policy during the 2nd century A.D., which promoted more intensive and widespread cultivation in Africa Proconsularis and with it a certain amount of deforestation. Increased exportation of agricultural products led to improved land transport networks in the interior and to the necessity for production of large numbers of terracotta amphoras for shipping liquid foodstuffs. With the concomitant growth of the ceramics industry, the vaulting tubes became an economically viable alternative to the more traditional wooden centering, which the tubes replaced. Thus the proliferation of the vaulting tubes is simply one of the many phenomena resulting from North Africa's rise as one of the major agricultural producers during the 2nd century.

Alessandri, C., Fabbri, R., Giunchi, E., Malvezzi, R., Russo, M., 2003. Wooden composite beams: a new technique in the Renaissance of Ferrara

by Michele Russo

Proceedings of the First International Congress on Construction History, Instituto Juan de Herrera, Madrid, 20-24 Gennaio, pp. 1023-1032. ISBN: 84-9728-072-5

The wooden composite beam technique appeared in Ferrara probably in the course of the 15th century as a reasonable way... more The wooden composite beam technique appeared in Ferrara probably in the course of the 15th century as a reasonable way to cover huge and important rooms which otherwise would have required too long and too high one-piece  beams, difficult to be provided locally. Usually a wooden composite beam consists of some pieces properly shaped and connected to one another with clinched nails in order to reproduce the unity of the entire beam. It is worth noting that in no other place of the Emilia-Romagna region are there examples of such a technique. The work moves from a historical approach based on the analysis of ancient documents and from “in situ” instrumental surveys. The genesis of the composite beam concept is then analysed  starting from the appearance of the first simple examples up to the more sophisticated models of the late 16th century, through the reading of the main treatises on Architecture, culminating in the 19th century architectural manuals where such a concept is properly defined by technical codes and structural dimensions. The technical evolution of the wooden composite beams from their prototypes, dating back to the thirties of the 15th century up to the more complex models of the nineties, responds to the increasing magnificence of the aristocratic Court of the Este family and to their demands of beauty and grandeur; therefore a number of formally different beam models were conceived to satisfy architectural needs which changed progressively in accordance with the establishing of the Prince’s image. The composite beams are characterised by a mechanical behaviour which is totally different from the one of the traditional one-piece beam: the shape and the mutual position of the pieces forming the composite beam give rise to an internal force diffusion which reminds an arch-like behaviour as described for the first time by Leon Battista Alberti in his De Re Aedificatoria. Moreover detailed surveys have pointed out an upward slope of the intrados one-piece element of such beams, intentionally produced to limit the inflection due to the applied loads, as confirmed by some notes of Leonardo Da Vinci in the “Codice Atlantico” and by the systematic encoding of the 19th century manuals. Therefore the techniques and the building site equipments used to bend, to assemble and to raise the composite beams are also investigated. The numerous measurements carried out to survey the exact geometry of the components and the proportional ratios between them has allowed also to set up a specific survey methodology for such composite beams.

Alessandri, C., Fabbri R., Giunchi, E., Malvezzi, R., Russo, M., 2003. Prime indagini sul comportamento statico di travi composte ferraresi: il contributo della simulazione numerica

by Michele Russo

Geoinforma 2003 (1), Maggioli Editore, Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna (RN), pp. 8-15.

Importanti aspetti finora oscuri delle tipologie Ferraresi di “travi composte” in legno ricevono un primo chiarimento... more Importanti aspetti finora oscuri delle tipologie Ferraresi di “travi composte” in legno ricevono un primo chiarimento grazie ad un’attenta lettura critica della trattatistica rinascimentale e ad una sperimentazione numerica condotta con un avanzato codice di calcolo strutturale agli elementi finiti. In particolare si fornisce un’interpretazione del comportamento statico sia delle travi composte che dei loro elementi componenti mediante un’analisi che ripropone le fasi costruttive, le modalità di lavorazione ed assemblaggio, supposte seguite dalle maestranze dell’epoca. Ne risulta uno studio che, legando in un rapporto di complementarietà conoscenze storiche e sperimentazione numerica, si propone con caratteri di originalità e innovazione.

Alessandri, C., Fabbri, R., Giunchi E., Malvezzi, R., Russo, M., 2004. High Technology and Structural Insight in the Wooden Composite Beams of the Renaissance Architecture in Ferrara

by Michele Russo

Interaction between Science, Technology and Architecture in Timber Construction, Proceedings of Culture2000 European Project, Heritage Series, Ed. Elsevier, pp. 513-54. ISBN: 2-84299-605-4, ISSN: 1625-1199

Giunchi, E., Malvezzi, M., Russo, M., 2005. Travi composte in legno nella Ferrara rinascimentale: indagini conoscitive e proposte d’intervento

by Michele Russo

Ferrara Architettura – Arte di costruire 2, Rita Fabbri (editore), Ferrara

Lo studio che si presenta riguarda una particolare tecnologia adottata dalla carpenteria rinascimentale ferrarese, che... more Lo studio che si presenta riguarda una particolare tecnologia adottata dalla carpenteria rinascimentale ferrarese, che consiste nella “composizione di travi lignee”, ossia nei metodi tramite i quali realizzare le orditure principali dei solai assemblando parti di dimensioni generalmente inferiori alla luce da coprire. La presenza della trave composta a Ferrara, così come la sua introduzione nella trattatistica e nella pratica costruttiva quattrocentesca, è manifestazione dell’alto livello raggiunto dalla cantieristica rinascimentale nell’individuazione di soluzioni innovative e tecnicamente avanzate in grado di fornire risposta alle esigenze costruttive e compositive del tempo. La peculiarità del sistema è data dalla capacità di coprire ambienti di notevoli dimensioni grazie alla opportuna disposizione dei pezzi e ad un rapporto base-altezza, nella sezione della trave, piuttosto ardito per i tempi; l’inadeguatezza manifestata dalle tecniche tradizionali impiegate nelle rivoluzionarie realizzazioni architettoniche del primo quattrocento ferrarese ha comportato, in un modo che a Ferrara ha assunto proporzioni di eccezionale rilievo, un impiego diffuso e sistematico della tecnologia della trave composta ed una fusione tra l’elemento tecnologico e la concezione architettonica che ha caratterizzato la cantieristica durante il fiorente dominio estense. L’uso estensivo di questa tecnologia e lo stato di conservazione, anche contestuale, dei manufatti hanno consentito lo studio del fenomeno in maniera piuttosto completa, nonostante la mancanza pressoché totale di fonti specifiche e di conoscenze acquisite, d’ordine storico e tecnico. Si è infine affrontata la stesura di un progetto che ha investito uno specifico caso di studio, consistente in un solaio incompleto al piano terreno del palazzo Tassoni di via della Ghiara: un impegno che ha mirato alla sintesi dei risultati ottenuti nello studio delle peculiarità di ciascuno dei casi analizzati.