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Construction History: The Construction Site and Its Technology
Konstruktionsgeschichte: Herstellungstechnik und Baustelle
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:16:09
Abstract
History of the construction site and its technology
Objective
Introduction to Construction History and the so-called "building archeology": ability to perform a "cloe reading" of historic built fabric, based on an in-depth knowledge on historic production techniques, both in the workshop and on the construction site itself. The focus is on constructions in stone.
Content
This lecture series deals with the history of the production of buildings. This history draws heavily on pictorial and archival sources, but the lecture will always establish the link to traces observable on site. In that sense, the lecture is an introduction to the wide topic of "building archeology". Among others, we will cover the following topics: - construction materials, tools and tooling of construction elements - material flow and economic boundary conditions of the construction site - construction site technology and construction machinery (scaffolding, cranes, etc.) - history of building production The autumn semester is primarily dedicated to building with stone: from quarrying to dressing and lifting. We consider tools, construction site technology such as scaffolding, centring and other temporary works, cranes. We study all types of stone constructions, from foundations to walls to vaults, from concrete-like rubble stone through small dressed stone to huge monoliths. The spring term lecture, conversely, is mostly dedicated to timber construction and to the evolution of structural concepts over time.
Resources
Lecture Notes
PDFs of the lecture slides will be provided before the lecture. Furthermore, the audience will be granted access to recent journal articles and book chapters providing in-depth insight into the topics covered by the lecture.
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Website der Professur Holzer
- Recording
- Videoportal der ETH Zürich
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- written 60 minutes
- Aids
- Wörterbuch (nicht elektronisch)
- Digital
- The exam takes place on devices provided by ETH Zurich.
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Konstruktionsgeschichte: Herstellungstechnik und Baustelle
Keine Lehrveranstaltung am 26.10 (Seminarwoche) sowie in den beiden letzten Semesterwochen (vor Schlussabgaben).
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2 h weekly |
Offered In
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MAS in Preservation and Construction History (Start: Every two years in the autumn semester with an even numbered year Duration: 4 semesters part time)