New research and dissertation projects started

The project “The medieval masonry bridge: Towards a construction history of arch bridges built before 1550”, applied for by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan M. Holzer and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, focuses on medieval stone arch bridges in Europe. The research project is scheduled to span four years and is led by Dr. sc. Jasmin Schäfer, who completed her doctorate with a dissertation on early modern timber structures at our chair. The subject is being investigated by our two doctoral students Grazia Cione and Laura Carmona López, who are each conducting research on their own cluster of objects. The next goal is therefore the identification of suitable stone arch bridges and the exact definition of the clusters to be processed.

Also, at the beginning of March, Mathias Häcki began his dissertation project on the Cathedral of St. Pierre in Lisieux (France). The Lisieux Cathedral is considered one of the earliest examples of French Gothic sacral architecture but has so far received only limited attention in research.

The research and dissertation projects are processed with the help of state-of-the-art technology and supplemented by intensive source and archival studies. The potential of cutting-edge surveying technology, from laser scanning to photogrammetry to automated recognition processes, is to be fully utilised and expanded within the research work.

Further information on the dissertation projects:

• Grazia Cione: The Medieval Masonry Bridge - Cluster A
• Laura Carmona López: The Medieval Brick Bridge - Cluster B
• Mathias Häcki: The Lisieux Cathedral, France