construction

Table of Contents

Introduction
The history of construction
- Primitive building: the Stone Age
- Bronze Age and early urban cultures
- Stone construction in Egypt
- Greek and Hellenistic cultures
- Roman achievements
  - Masonry construction
  - Early concrete structures
  - Timber and metal construction
  - Building support systems
- Romanesque and Gothic
  - Stone construction
  - Construction in timber and brick
  - Building services
- The Renaissance
  - Reintroduction of dome construction
  - Revival of Roman technics and materials
- The first industrial age
  - Development of iron technology
  - Manufactured building materials
  - Building science
  - Emergence of design professionals
  - Improvements in building services
- The second industrial age
  - Introduction of steel building technology
  - Early steel-frame high-rises
  - Steel long-span construction
  - Reintroduction of concrete
    - The invention of reinforced concrete
    - The concrete dome
  - Development of building service and support systems
    - Vertical transportation
    - Lighting
    - Heating and cooling systems
    - Glass as a building material
  - High-rise construction since 1945
    - Use of steel and other metals
    - Use of reinforced concrete
  - Postwar developments in long-span construction
Modern building practices
- The economic context of building construction
- Building design and construction
  - Design programming
  - Design development
  - Construction
- Low-rise residential buildings
  - Foundations
  - Structural systems
    - Timber frames
    - Masonry walls
  - Enclosure systems
  - Interior finishes
  - Plumbing
  - Heating and cooling
  - Electrical systems
- Low-rise commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings
  - Foundations
  - Timber
  - Steel
  - Concrete
  - Enclosure systems
  - Interior finishes
    - Partitions
    - Ceiling finishes
    - Floor finishes
  - Life-safety systems
  - Vertical transportation
  - Plumbing
  - Environmental control
  - Electrical systems
- High-rise buildings
  - Foundations
  - Structural systems
    - Wind loads
    - Earthquake loads
    - Classification of structural systems
  - Enclosure systems
  - Life-safety systems
  - Vertical transportation
  - Plumbing
  - Environmental control
  - Electrical systems
- Long-span buildings
  - Structural systems
    - Structural types
    - Timber structures
    - Steel structures
    - Concrete structures
  - Factors in the built environment
    - Acoustics
    - Environmental control systems

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

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Videos

The vidoe thumbnail image shows a two-sided bridge lifting and separating at the center. A blue circle highlights the open section.

How these lifting bridges actually work

Why did the encyclopedia cross the bridge?

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power

Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power

Learn about Speyer Cathedral in Germany.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Westend61/Getty Images

See the various roles involved in designing and constructing a building, from developers to architects to managers

See the various roles involved in designing and constructing a building, from developers to architects to managers

Learn about the job specialties involved in planning and completing a building construction...

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Learn about the skills required to work as an industrial electrician

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Images

construction of apartment buildings

construction of apartment buildings

Apartment buildings under construction in Cambridge, England.

Andrew Dunn

entrance to tomb chamber of Ur-nammu

entrance to tomb chamber of Ur-nammu

Brick walls and corbel vault at the entrance to the tomb chamber of Ur-nammu in the...

Hirmer Fotoarchiv, Munich

Basilica of Constantine

Basilica of Constantine

The clerestory of the Basilica of Constantine, Rome.

© Leonid Andronov/Fotolia

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower, Paris.

© Corbis

Astrodome

Astrodome

The Astrodome in Houston, Texas, 1965.

Courtesy of Astrodome USA

timber-frame construction

timber-frame construction

The completed frame of a modern timber-frame house.

© David Lee/Shutterstock.com

houses under construction

houses under construction

Aerial view of houses under construction in California.

© Comstock Images/Jupiterimages

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