BUILDING TECHNIQUE

Techniques from classical times

The Greeks developed a pulley system, which could lift heavy weights, and used
geometry and trigonometry in planning their buildings. By 300 BC they were able to
transport, carve, polish, and erect huge marble buildings of remarkable beauty and precious,
although the structures were simple in design. They would often use columns with
horizontal stone supports (lintels) laid across that were kept in place by gravity and metal
clamps.  

The Romans used concrete as the basic building material, keeping stone and marble as
the facing material. As their building became larger (and the span between arches wider),
they developed the semicircular arch which could support a greater load than the flat stone
lintel. They also used bricks as a backing for decorative mosaic tiles.

The Byzantine builders of Constantinople (now Istanbul) turned their attention to the
problem of constructing a circular dome above the square base of building’s walls. They
worked out a technique in which a series of supports, springing from the base, could carry a
ring of masonry to hold up the dome. Such spacious domes are still standing today after
centuries of wear and tear. 

Timber techniques

Up to the 15 century, most domestic buildings were constructed with timber frame. In the
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earliest form, which was used in Roman country villas, a filled in squared timber framework
was usual. Cruck frames, which were curved and formed the main support of the roof, came
into use during the 8 and 9 centuries. However, this constricted the layout and was
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eventually replaced by the balloon frame, which was made up of lighter timbers nailed
together, and is still in use.

In Europe, the classical styles of building were revived, and wood was used to
stimulate the effects the Romans had produced with other materials. In St. Paul’s Cathedral
in London, Christopher Wren used timber supported on a brick cone to provide the outline
of the dome.
 In America, however, with vast forests of wood to use, new structural forms were
developed to mimic the classical styles. These survive today in the elegant timber-framed,
weather boarded houses and mansions of the East Coast.

Oriental buildings
In China, very little exists that was built earlier than the 12 century: the Great Wall
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of China, completed in about 210BC, was restored in the 16 century.

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Hard-packed earth, sometimes faced with brick, formed the base of a Chinese building.
Wooden columns were set above this and joined together with beams. To support the roof,
beams of decreasing size were placed one above the other, unlike the rigid triangular
framework developed in the West. Brackets were used to extend the rafters, often of
bamboo, beyond the columns. The roof came in one of three basic designs, and was
decorated with glazed tiles in beautiful blues, yellows and greens.
Japanese technique drew on the building materials available, such as timber, clay,
woven and felted fibers and metal, and allowed for such disasters as earthquakes and
storms. The PAGODA and other typical designs were copied from China.
Indian building, which began in the Indus valley sometime before 2000BC, started with large
cities laid out in a grid pattern and constructed from brick. From 100 BC, simpler buildings
were put up, consisting of timber posts and beams pegged together with bamboo and
enclosed with WATTLE and plaster or bricks. Stone, often beautifully carved and built up
into pyramid-like structures, was used for temples.

Construction today
A major building project today will start with the design, carried out by architects
and engineers, who make sure that the structure will stand up to the tasks required.
Construction itself requires many types of machines, as well as the workers who operate
them and provide the skills and labor to carry out the jobs that the machines cannot do.

Merideth
Decorating Book
KELOMPOK 5 (BUILDING TECHNIQUE)

Nama Anggota:

1. Marikon Shihombing
2. Sandika Fabary
3. Arta Aulia Rahman
4. Satria Putra Nusantara
5. Devita

Question :

1. When will the Great Wall of China be completed and restored?

Answer : in around 210 BC the Great Wall of China was completed, and in the 16th century it
was completely restored
2.