Development of Construction Techniques

Development of Construction Techniques

1. Architectural Technology

Primitive structures, or buildings used for people to live and stay, are mainly pit houses,

made up of pits in the ground  with roofing. These structures have been unearthed at

vrious parts of the world. Thousands of years ago, with simple tools which humans

learned to make and use, they constructed dwellings for shelter from rain by making use of natural materials, such as grass, wood, stone, mud and animal skin. With the development of civilized society, they came to make buildings that have symbolic

meanings, such as religious, hierarchical, or memorial, beyond the original meaning of dwellings. Those buildings are temples, palaces and theaters, one of whose representatives is the pyramids. Depending on natural conditions, under which civilization it was born, and social conditions, such as thought, religion or hierarchy, a

variety of buildings with various architectural forms have been built around the world.

These buildings expanded their dimensions vertically and laterally as new building materials and techniques were developed. Good examples are temples and churches existent in Europe dating back to the middle ages. 

The emergence of modern architecture was timed with the industrial  revolution in the19th century in Europe. The industrial revolution accelerated industrialization and propelled the economy by leaps and bounds. Demands for buildings also drastically changed, requiring more functional, efficient and economical factories and other industrial facilities. Reinforced concrete and steel reinforced concrete buildings using 

 such new building materials as steel, cement and glass have become a steady scene. The demand for dimensional expansion in height and space increased accordingly.

Today, we see cities growing intensively populated, spatially gigantic and more and more information-oriented. Requests for buildings also become more diversified. Building technology that makes “super high rises” and “buildings with big spaces”

possible has never been more important. A brief introduction of the advanced building technology is given in the following.