Construction Fundamentals Chapter 1. Chapter 1 - Historical Perspective Architect comes from a Greek word meaning –chief artifice, –master–builder, –director.

Construction FundamentalsChapter 1

Chapter 1 - Historical Perspective

• Architect comes from a Greek word meaning – chief artifice,

– master–builder,

– director of works.

Chapter 1 - Historical Perspective

•Architect – Romans used the Latin form

architectus - the architect’s responsibilities was to design and superintend the construction of the work.

Chapter 1 - Historical Perspective

• Contractor – comes from the legal agreement or contract

that is negotiated and executed between the owner and the builder

• General Contractor – As there can be many builders involved on

a project a hierarchy of responsibility and authority needs to be established to insure proper coordination of the various efforts

Construction• Engineering and

construction are a unique combination of specific need and specific design in a process that yields an engineered work.

• Civilizations are built by construction efforts.

Construction • Civil Engineers

•Military Engineers

Engineering Education

• L’Ecole Polytechnique –authorized in 1795 by Napoleon

• U. S. Military Academy, West Point –organized by President Thomas

Jefferson 1802

Canals• Man-made canals were a major factor

in the development of early civilization

–Barge Canals

• Chesapeake and Ohio (1828-1850)

–Ship Canals

• Suez (1869)

• Panama (1914)

Rail Roads

Rail Roads• The railroads were the engine of

growth and expansion to the West

• By 1840 there were nearly three thousand miles of track in the United States

Rail Roads• Congress passed the Pacific Railroad

Act in 1862.

–The act authorized the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Companies to build a transcontinental rail line along the 42nd parallel

–May 10, 1869 Golden spike driven home

Golden SpikeNational Historic Site

"East Meets West" photo taken May 10, 1869 by Andrew J. Russell  (National Park Service Photo)

Golden SpikeThe web site to learn more about this historic engineering accomplishment. http://www.nps.gov/gosp/Additional reading:C.P.R.R. The Central Pacific Railroad - Charles Nordoff,  Outbooks, Golden, CO 1976 (originally written 1892). Empire Express; Building the First Transcontinental Railroad - David Haward Bain, Penguin Putnam, New York, NY. 1999.

Golden SpikeAdditional reading:History of the Union Pacific Railway - Henry K. White,  University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 1895. Nothing Like It In The World- The Men Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 - Stephen E. Ambrose, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY. 2000. Rails From the West: a Biography of Theodore D. Judah - Helen Hinkley, Golden West Books, San Marino, CA 1969. Ten Mile Day; And The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad – Mary Ann Fraser Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY 1993.

Industrial Buildings

• Buildings of the mid-19th century tended to be narrow enclosures with load-bearing walls

Industrial Buildings• Between 1874 and 1904 many

advances made– Construction methods

and materials– fire protection– steel trusses framing

Industrial Buildings• 1920’s industrial buildings were

being constructed with skeleton framing and curtain walls

Industrial Buildings• Concrete building systems have

also been developed. –cast-in-place– tilt-up–precast

Highways• Appian Way

• Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate Highway System (1956)

I-17/I-10 Phoenix AZ

AirportsPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ

AirportsConstruction at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, 2002

Skyscrapers

• 1800’s few buildings were more than 100 ft high

–Walls were load bearing (up to 5 feet thick)

–Doors & window penetrations were kept to a minimum

Skyscr

aper

s

Skyscraper

s

Skyscrapers• Four engineering innovations had to

come together before the height of building would rise to a level where they would be called skyscrapers.– Safe elevators– Steel Framing– Fireproofing– Caisson method of foundation

construction

Welded steel connections

Bolted steel connections

Construction IndustryEgyptians

Greeks

Romans – corvee - Latin corrogare, to

summon together – Collegia

Construction IndustryRomans – Collegia• Membership for skilled craftsmen

became mandatory• Workers had to follow the same

trade for life and their descendants after them

• Wages were fixed• Craftsmen could be transferred to

any location as directed by the state

Master Builders• Reported to the owner

• Responsible for both

–Design and

–Construction

Master Builders

• Used the principle of proportional geometry to construct complicated designs with a minimum of equipment

Contractors• From the legal agreement or contract

that is negotiated and executed between the owner and the builder

• General contractor (GC)

• Specialty or trade contractors

–Electrical

–Plumbing

–Heating and air conditioning (HVAC)

Assignment• Due next class• What is the largest or most famous

_____ in your state? And why!!–Canal–Road–Bridge–Skyscraper–Airport