The history of building construction is intimately
related to the availability of suitable building materials and the ability of
craftsmen and engineers to exploit their properties of strength and durability.
Until the 19th century the abundance of Britain's forests and its geology
determined the types of material available for construction, namely earth and
clay, stone and timber and helped to promote the use of the two principal
building systems, the use of heavy load-bearing walls or a light
framework.
Industrialisation made it possible to both produce
materials on a large scale and convey them over greater distance via new means
of transport such as the railways and canals. Thus traditional materials such
as bricks were manufactured in huge quantities but also new, industrial
materials such as cast and wrought iron, and steel. From the late 19th century
concrete began to play an increasingly important role in construction and from
the mid-20th century even plastics were being employed. Up to the present,
architects, engineers and designers continue to use a wide variety of materials
in unusual and innovative ways.
With greater understanding of the properties and
behaviour of these materials, building technology has developed to achieve
buildings of ever greater height and span, suitable for the requirements of a
modern society.
(Looking
at Buildings 2001)
|