Publications

Potgeter, Wilko.: Die Erfindung des Verblendsteins: Bautechnik des Backstein-​Rohbaus im Zeitalter der Industrialisierung (Berlin, 2022).

This first volume of the new series "Berichte zur Bauforschung und Konstruktionsgeschichte" (Reports on Building Archaeology and Construction History) by our chair provides a comprehensive account of the facing brick boom in the German-​speaking region of the 19th century. The ubiquitous brick façade design in the architecture of this epoch was associated with diverse questions of production technology and construction. Only by looking at the history of building technology does the brick building shell reveal itself as a complex phenomenon that cannot simply be understood as an artistic trend, but was embedded in a dynamic field of tension between aesthetic ideas, technical possibilities and economic and political conditions.

Purchase: external pageMichael Imhof Verlagcall_made / PDF-Download: Research Collection

Holzer, Stefan M.: Gerüste und Hilfskonstruktionen im historischen Baubetrieb: Geheimnisse der Bautechnikgeschichte (Berlin, 2021).

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. Moreover, this publication is a reference work on the history of building technology that provides important know-how for the planning practice of civil engineers and architects in the field of building in existing contexts and under monument protection. For interested non-professionals, it offers an entertainingly written history of the creation of the built world.

Available for purchase at external pageErnst & Sohncall_made

Potgeter, Wilko; Holzer, Stefan M.: Backsteinstadt Zürich: Der Sichtbackstein-​Boom zwischen 1883 und 1914 (Zurich, 2021).

Based on archival research and a survey of the surviving building stock, this is the first detailed account of the facing brick boom that began with the 1883 national exhibition and its temporal, spatial and constructional dimensions. Richly illustrated with historical and new photographs, detailed images and diagrams, the book is a fundamental work on the history of the development of facing brick in Zurich. The research material is charmingly supplemented by hitherto rarely published photographs by the Zurich photographer and "house collector" Friedrich Ruef-Hirt (1873-1927) from the holdings of the City of Zurich's Archives of Architectural History.

Available for purchase at external pagePark Bookscall_made

Stefan M. Holzer: Der Ludwig-​Donau-Main-Kanal. Historische Wahrzeichen der Ingenieurbaukunst in Deutschland, Band 22, ed. by the Federal Chamber of Engineers (Berlin 2018).

Built between 1836 and 1847, the Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal was the largest and most important hydraulic engineering project in the German-speaking world during the period of the onset of industrialisation. Already understood by contemporaries as a "European project", its planning incorporated experience from one hundred and fifty years of canal construction throughout Europe, especially from France and England. Since the canal could only be opened on the threshold of the railway age, it never attained the significance it was intended to have and is therefore still preserved almost unchanged in its original condition in its remaining sections, which makes it a particularly important technical monument today.

Also published in the series "Historic Landmarks of Civil Engineering in Germany" by Stefan M. Holzer are Volume 16 "Die Sauschwänzlebahn im Südschwarzwald" and Volume 11 "Die König-​Ludwig-Brücke Kempten". Available for purchase from the external pageBundesingenieurkammercall_made

Stefan M. Holzer: Statische Beurteilung historischer Tragwerke, Band 2: Holzkonstruktionen (Berlin 2015)

Volume 2 covers the handcrafted timber structures of Central Europe. Especially historical timber structures for roofs and ceilings are susceptible to environmental effects and overload situations. The procedure for as-built investigations, also with regard to the identification and dating of historical damage and repairs, and the basics of assessing the stability of load-bearing structures with a long service life are outlined. The main part is devoted to the discussion of construction systems and connections of historical ceiling and roof structures.

Available for purchase at external pageErnst & Sohncall_made

Stefan M. Holzer: Statische Beurteilung historischer Tragwerke, Band 1: Mauerwerkskonstruktionen (Berlin 2013)

The task of assessing existing load-bearing structures arises during conversions or changes of use, and increasingly also when assessing the stability of publicly accessible structures. The activation of load-bearing reserves can minimise the intervention of repair measures, which is important not least from the point of view of monument preservation. Volume 1 covers historical arch and vault constructions. The focus is on the evaluation of stability and the identification of sources of danger. Examples from practice for different arch forms and the essential load cases illustrate the calculation models.

Available for purchase at external pageErnst & Sohncall_made