New monograph by Stefan M. Holzer published
Stefan M. Holzers new book "Gerüste und Hilfskonstruktionen im historischen Baubetrieb: Geheimnisse der Bautechnikgeschichte" has been published by Ernst & Sohn.
This book paints a vivid picture of the technology used on historic building sites from antiquity to the First World War: The work and transport scaffolds as well as the falsework of the past are a fascinating part of the history of building technology. However, as intended, they have left little trace on the buildings, so that the historical fabrication techniques often appear mysterious and difficult to fathom.
The book reveals many of these secrets. The origin and spread of the different types of scaffolding in Europe are illustrated and discussed. The author has covered a great deal of new ground and prepared and evaluated previously unpublished or only scattered material. An important thematic focus is on the falsework for vaults, because they still have practical consequences today in the evaluation and strengthening of historical vault constructions, whose deviations can only be explained with knowledge of the falsework. Astonishing planning documents are made accessible to the reader, e.g. detailed explanations of what the scaffolds for the construction of the great Renaissance and Baroque domes looked like, who was responsible for their fabrication and how they determined the construction process. A detailed chapter also explains the versatile history of cranes and hoists. Well-known scaffolding problems are also presented, some in a new light: The falsework for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome or the transport scaffolding for the Vatican obelisk in the 16th century are highlights of construction history even for non-professionals interested in building technology.
The comprehensive portrayal of the history of construction site technology is concluded by a detailed overview of scaffolding in bridge building, that sub-sector of construction in which the technical requirements reached their culmination and in which historical construction technology, with iron and concrete construction in the 19th century, also found its connection to the industrialised construction of the present day.
This book is a reference work on the history of building technology, which also provides important expertise for the planning practice of civil engineers and architects in building in existing buildings and under monument protection. For interested non-professionals, it offers an entertainingly written history of the creation of the built world.
Now available from external page Ernst und Sohn