construction

Introduction
The history of construction
- Primitive building: the Stone Age
- Bronze Age and early urban cultures
- Stone construction in Egypt
- Greek and Hellenistic cultures
- Roman achievements
  - Masonry construction
  - Early concrete structures
  - Timber and metal construction
  - Building support systems
- Romanesque and Gothic
  - Stone construction
  - Construction in timber and brick
  - Building services
- The Renaissance
  - Reintroduction of dome construction
  - Revival of Roman technics and materials
- The first industrial age
  - Development of iron technology
  - Manufactured building materials
  - Building science
  - Emergence of design professionals
  - Improvements in building services
- The second industrial age
  - Introduction of steel building technology
  - Early steel-frame high-rises
  - Steel long-span construction
  - Reintroduction of concrete
    - The invention of reinforced concrete
    - The concrete dome
  - Development of building service and support systems
    - Vertical transportation
    - Lighting
    - Heating and cooling systems
    - Glass as a building material
  - High-rise construction since 1945
    - Use of steel and other metals
    - Use of reinforced concrete
  - Postwar developments in long-span construction
Modern building practices
- The economic context of building construction
- Building design and construction
  - Design programming
  - Design development
  - Construction
- Low-rise residential buildings
  - Foundations
  - Structural systems
    - Timber frames
    - Masonry walls
  - Enclosure systems
  - Interior finishes
  - Plumbing
  - Heating and cooling
  - Electrical systems
- Low-rise commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings
  - Foundations
  - Timber
  - Steel
  - Concrete
  - Enclosure systems
  - Interior finishes
    - Partitions
    - Ceiling finishes
    - Floor finishes
  - Life-safety systems
  - Vertical transportation
  - Plumbing
  - Environmental control
  - Electrical systems
- High-rise buildings
  - Foundations
  - Structural systems
    - Wind loads
    - Earthquake loads
    - Classification of structural systems
  - Enclosure systems
  - Life-safety systems
  - Vertical transportation
  - Plumbing
  - Environmental control
  - Electrical systems
- Long-span buildings
  - Structural systems
    - Structural types
    - Timber structures
    - Steel structures
    - Concrete structures
  - Factors in the built environment
    - Acoustics
    - Environmental control systems

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

construction of apartment buildings

The vidoe thumbnail image shows a two-sided bridge lifting and separating at the center. A blue circle highlights the open section.

entrance to tomb chamber of Ur-nammu

Basilica of Constantine

Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power

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timber-frame construction

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Basilica of Constantine

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construction: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	building construction

Photos and Videos

construction of apartment buildings

entrance to tomb chamber of Ur-nammu

Basilica of Constantine

timber-frame construction

houses under construction

The vidoe thumbnail image shows a two-sided bridge lifting and separating at the center. A blue circle highlights the open section.

Speyer Cathedral: A monument to imperial power

See the various roles involved in designing and constructing a building, from developers to architects to managers

Learn about the skills required to work as an industrial electrician

Know about engineering and how it solves practical problems like building airplanes, skyscrapers, and bridges

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Topics

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