BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

factor in the development of Gothic Cathedrals

around this time.

IRON (700) – Though iron had been used in

Historical developments – Building buildings for centuries (iron ties stabilized Roman
Material Construction arches, for example), the first known use of iron as a
primary structural material was in late 7th century
- First permanent buildings were constructed China, when the Tang Dynasty constructed a
during the Neolithic revolution, when number of cast-iron pagodas. After the Tang
humans moved from a nomadic hunter- Dynasty’s demise, iron was largely forgotten as a
gatherer lifestyle to agriculture. construction material for almost 1,000 years.

BRICK (9,000BCE) – Middle East, the first Ganlu Temple Pagoda (Jiangsu, China 1078-1085)
construction materials were likely to have been sun-
baked clay bricks. IRON (reinvented – 1775) – Iron was
rediscovered as a construction material in 1775,
- Bricks are still one of the world’s most when it was used to build the Iron Bridge in
common construction materials. Shropshire, England (1775).

TIMBER (8,500BCE) – In 2010, archeologists - Iron structures were an important feature in

dated the remains of a wooden hut unearthed in the Industrial Revolution, the development
England to around 8,500 BCE, making it the oldest of iron buildings would lay the groundwork
recoded evidence of a timber structure. for the modern steel industry.

GRANITE, LIMESTONE (3,100 BCE) – The ENGINEERED TIMBER (1852) - the first use of
Ancient Egyptians were among the first civilizations engineered timber was in the Church of St. Luke in
to build their monumental structures in stone, Formby, England, which used something resembling
primarily using locally available granite and modern Glulam beams. However, the invention of a
limestone. range of engineered timber products can be
credited to Otto Hetzer, who patented a series of
MARBLE (650 BCE) – It was around 650 BCE that designs beginning in 1982.
the Ancient Greeks began to build their temples in
stone rather than timber. For them, marble was Museum of Natural History, by Otto Hetzer in
simply the locally available choice. However, it has Altenburg, Germany. 1907.
gained an aura of majesty after the Romans and
later Renaissance builders, went to great lengths to
ASBESTOS (1866) – Though asbestos had been
used for millennia, it wasn’t until 1866 that it was first
acquire marble to emulate the beauty of Greek
temples. used as an insulating material in a building. Over
the next century it began to be incorporated in a
CONCRETE (20) - though some may associate huge variety of construction materials thanks to its
concrete with modern buildings, it has been in use fire resistant and insulating qualities, However, its use
since Roman times, with Vitruvius outlining a recipe has dwindled, since it was shown to cause a range
of sorts in his 10 books on architecture. of health problems; it is now outlawed in many
countries.
- The famous Dome of the Pantheon (Rome,
Italy. 126 AD) was constructed in concrete STEEL (1890) – Henry Bessemer invented his
and remains the world’s largest unreinforced modern steel-making process in 1855, but it wasn’t
concrete dome. until around 1890 that the process was refined
enough for construction. The first steel constructions
GLASS (100) – Glass windows were another on both sides of the Atlantic were the Rand McNally
Roman invention, with their first appearance in Building in Chicago and the Forth Bridge in
Roman-era Egypt. These windows, made by simply Edinburgh. Over the ensuing years, steel began to
flattening blown glass, had poor optical qualities. replace iron throughout the construction industry.
New methods of manufacturing in the 12th and 13th
centuries would produce glasses of higher quality Eiffel Tower – Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (Paris,
(broad sheet and crown glasses) – an important France,1889)
PVC (1926) – The 20th century saw a huge boom I WOOD AS BUILDING MATERIALS
the discovery and production of various plastics.
One of the more important in architecture is PVC, Wood used in Architecture
which has come to be used in a huge range of
Natural wood has certain properties that make it an
building finishes.
attractive building material:
REINFORCED CONCRETE (1950) – Reinforced • Natural Warmth – to the touch; wood
concrete was invented by Joseph Monier in 1849
insulates
and patented in 1867. By combining concrete with
• Workability, easily shaped with simple tools
iron (and later steel), Monier added tensile strength
• Infinite variety; no two trees, or even pieces
to concrete, which made it possible to use for
from the same tree, are alike
structural beams.
• Strength-to-weight ratio for bridges, boats,
Notre Dame du Haut (1954) – Le Corbusier, homes, furnitures
Ronchamp, France. • Flexibility; watch how huge trees bend
before the wind
Reinforced concrete became the material of • Fire protection; wood chars and therefore
choice for many modern architects from the 1950s burns slowly, doesn’t melt or crumble
onwards. • Color: natural, through wood’s ability to
receive many types of stains and finishes.
Le Corbusier

Louis Kahn Classification of Wood

Kenzo Tange a. Softwoods come from the conifers

(evergreens) which have needles instead of
Oscar Niemeyer leaves, e.g. pine.
b. Hardwoods come from the broad-leaved or
FLOAT GLASS (1959) – Float glass is made by deciduous trees. Most Philippine timber are
floating molten glass on a bath of molten tin.
of this latter kind.
Though it had been used before, it was in 1959
when Sir Alastair Pilkington discovered a successful *The terms “hardwood” and “softwood” are often
way to industrialize it. This method allowed for a misleading because they have no direct relation to
large panes of high quality glass at a much lower the actual physical hardness or softness of the
price, and has contributed significantly to modern wood, so that a hardwood may actually be softer
architecture. than a softwood.

Glass House (1949) – Philip Johnson, Connecticut, Structure of Wood

USA.
a. Sapwood
PLASTIC TENSILE STRUCTURES (1967) - The - Is the softer, younger outer portion of a tree
range and availability of plastics increased that lies between the cambium (formative
dramatically in the 20th century. A PVC tensile layer just under the bark) and the
membrane was used for Frei Otto’s design for the heartwood.
West German Pavilion at the 1967 Expo in Montreal, - It is more permeable, less durable and
Canada. usually lighter in color than the heartwood.
- The portion of the log near the periphery
West German Pavilion (1967) – Frei Otto, Montreal
which is generally lighter in color than the
Canada.
central portion.
ETFE (1982) – Though it had been around for - Contains living cells and takes an active
part in the life process of a tree.
decades, it wasn’t until the 1980s that German
- Because it contains more organic matter
Engineer Stefan Lehnert saw ETFE’s potential as a
than the central core of the log, it is more
building material, allowing for buildings such as The
susceptible to blueing fungi and wood-
Eden Project and the The Beijing National Aquatics
boring insects, and is not durable.
Center (PTW Architects, Beijing China, 2008).
 Cup – a distortion of the board in which the face is
convex or concave across the board.

Twist – a distortion of the board in which one corner

is raised.

b. Heartwood
- The older, harder central portion of a tree.
Classification of Lumber
- Usually contains deposits of various materials
that frequently give it a darker color than Wood that is used in construction is called LUMBER.
soapwood.
- Is denser, less permeable and more durable Lumber is classified by its size or dimensions
than the surrounding soapwood. measured in inches, for example, a piece of lumber
- The central core of the log, it is composed of measuring 2 inches by 4 inches is called 2 x 4.
inactive cells and serves only a a There are four available classifications of lumber:
mechanical support.
a. Strips – lumber less than 2” thich and less
Defects of Wood than 8” wide.
b. Board Lumber – pieces less than 2” thick and
a. Decay – caused by the attack of fungi
at least 8” wide.
b. Checks – cracks or lengthwise separation
c. Dimension Lumber – pieces more than 2”
across the annual rings of growth caused by
and less than 5” in any dimension.
irregular shrinkage during drying. Checks are
d. Timbers – pieces 5” or more on the smallest
formed when the circumference shrinks
dimension.
more than the interior section of the log.
c. Shakes – these are cracks between and The two most common classifications are:
parallel to the annual rings of the growth.
d. Knots – these are irregular growths in the - Dimension Lumber and
body of a tree which interrupt the smooth - Board Lumber
curve of the grain. The fibers of the tree are It is important to realize that the stated size of
turned from their normal course and grow lumber is not its actual finished size.
around the knot at that point of the tree.
e. Pitchpockets – these are well-defined Nominal size is the size of lumber when it is cut from
openings between annual rings containing the log. After cutting, the lumber is dried and then
solid or liquid pitch. planed on all four sides to achieve smoothness. The
f. Wane – This is the lack of wood on the edge finished size is therefore smaller.
or corner of a piece.
g. Warping – any variation with the plane
surface of the piece caused by unequal
shrinkage of the board.

Several forms of warp:

Crook – a distortion of the board in which the edge

is convex or concave longitudinal. STRIP LUMBER DIMENSION LUMBER

Bow – a distortion of the board in which the face is

convex or concave longitudinal.
TREATMENT OF LUMBER its grain is at right angles to the grain of the
previous ply.
There are two methods of treating wood to - The outside plies are called the face and
increase its fire-resistance: the back, and the center plies are called
the core. The cross-layering make plywood
a. Covering the wood with a compound or
very stable and strong.
material. Such superficial coatings or layers
- Coatings or layers of protective material
protective materials retard the normal
over the surface are good only for interior
increases in temperature under fire
purposes because they are not durable
conditions and thereby decrease the rate of
when exposed to the weather.
flame spread. This in turn lessens the rate of
flame penetration and therefore the
destruction of wood in contact with fire.

Coatings or layers of protective material over the

surface are good only for interior purposes because
they are not durable when exposed to the weather.
These are water-soluble, fire retardant chemicals
generally are trade-marked formulation of
ammonium phosphate, borax or sodium silicate
combined with other materials to provide
adherence to the wood, brush-ability, appearance
and color. a. Standard Sizes of Plywood:
There are also chemicals with low water soluble Plywood is commonly available in:
such as zinc borate, chlorinated paraffin and
chlorinated rubber which are used for fire retardant 3’ x 6’ (900mm x 1800mm) and
coatings. 4’ x 8’ (1220mm x 2440mm)
b. Impregnating the wood with a chemical Standard thicknesses are:
which the wood itself not support
combustion. The chemicals commonly used 3/16” (4.5mm) for double wall partitions and
for impregnation are: ceilings

- monobasic ammonium phosphate ¼” (6.0mm) for double wall partitions

- dibasic ammonium phosphate 3/8” (10.0mm) for drawers and shelves

- ammonium sulfate ½” (12.0mm) for drawers and shelves

- borax, boric acid and ¾” (19.0mm) for drawers, shelves, cabinet and
closet doors
- zinc chloride
1” (25.0mm) for cabinet and closet doors, and
WOOD COMPOSITES sub-floors
-Wood Composites are those products made from b. Advantages of Plywood
a mixture of wood and other materials. Most wood - the approximate equalization of strength
composites are produced in large sheets, usually properties along its length and width;
1220mm (4’) x 2440mm (8’). - greater resistance to checking and splitting;
and
PLYWOOD - less change in dimension due to moisture
- Plywood is the most common wood content
composite. It gets its name from its c. Types of Plywood:
construction: it is made of several thin plies, • Ordinary Plywood
or veneers, of wood that have been glued • Form Plywood
together. Each ply or veneer is glued so that • Marine Plywood – waterproofed
• Fancy Plywood:
 o Narra bookmatch b. Panel hardboard
o Kalantas Rotary cut is somewhat denser than the Standard
o Tanguile Ribbon-grain but not as dense as Tempered.

o Lauan Rotary cut c. Tempered hard board

o Dao bookmatch is the densest type, made by

impregnating standard board with tempering
o Rosewood
compound of oils and resins and baking it to
o Tanguile polymerize the tempering materials. It is dark
brown in color, brittle and stiff, with improved
HARDBOARD machining qualities and greater resistance to
- This is a paneling material made by reducing and moisture and water penetration, making it
refining wood chips into small, threadlike fibers, and ideal for exterior use
then pressing them under heat in hydraulic pressure
- Hardboard is usually in panel size of
into dense, smooth, and very rigid panels.
4’x8’ (1220mm x 2440mm) with
- In the production process the pulp is exploded thicknesses of 1/8” (3mm), 3/16”
under pressure. Heat and steam is applied to leave (4.5mm) or ¼” (6mm), and is obtainable
fine, fluffy brown fibers. These fibers are transformed either with a plain, textured, or
into mats, which are held together with lignum and perforated surface.
other glues. The mats are than pressed between
steam-heated metal plates to give grainless sheets Brand names of Hardboard:
with one smooth, glossy surface and one textured
surface. To prevent warping, moisture is added in a • LAWANIT standard and tempered
humidification chamber. boards
• LAWANEX panel boards
- Hardboards are a cheaper option than • MASONITE standard, panel and
plywood where strength is not required. tempered hard board
- Hardboard has a smooth surface on one side CHIPBOARD
and a screened surface on the other. It is
sometimes known as Masonite, after the man - Chipboard is made by bonding together
who invented it. wood particles with an adhesive under heat
and pressure to form a rigid board with a
relatively smooth surface, often faced with
veneer. It is made by binding phenolic resin
or urea formaldehyde glue.

Chipboard is available in a number of densities;

normal, medium and high-density.

- Normal density is fairly soft and 'flaky‘

- High-density is very solid and hard (often used for

- worktops and fire doors)

There are three types of hard board:
- Medium density is somewhere in between
a. Standard hardboard

is light brown in color and has a fairly

hard, smooth surface on one side and a
screened impression on the other. It is flexible
and easy to bend. It is suitable for interior use
only and where it is not subject to moisture.
FIBERBOARDS AND MEDIUM DENSITY
FIBERBOARDS
MDF is a type of fiberboard which is made from
wood fibers glued under heat and pressure. MDF
has many qualities that make it an ideal alternative
to plywood or chipboard.

It is dense, flat, stiff, has no knots and is easily

machined. Its fine particles provide a material
without a recognizable "grain".

Unlike plywood, MDF contains no internal voids, and

will produce better edges providing that it is
correctly machined.

FIBERCEMENT BOARD
- Fiber-reinforced cement board is comprised
of 72% Portland Cement, 20% mineralized
cellulose fibers derived from recycled
materials, and 8% calcium carbonate.
GYPSUMBOARD
This is a non-combustible building board with a
gypsum core enclosed in tough, smooth paper. It is
designed to be used without addition of plaster for
walls, ceilings or partitions. It is extensively used in
“dry-wall” construction, where plaster is eliminated

Brand Names:

BORAL

ELEPHANT REINFORCED CONCRETE

Square Edge (S.E.) for coverstrip jointing; visible butt - jointed

panelling with clamp fixing and free suspension.

Tapered Edge (T.E.) for smooth seamless jointing; jointless wall

and ceiling panelling
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