DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARIÑAS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT

HISTORY OF MATERIALS
USED IN BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION
T-ARCH126 BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 1
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES

Gain considerable knowledge of the basic properties

and composition of building construction and finishing
materials.
 THE HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE IS ALSO
THE HISTORY OF BUILDING
MATERIALS.
 CONSTRUCTION IS AN ANCIENT HUMAN ACTIVITY.

IT BEGAN WITH THE PURELY FUNCTIONAL NEED FOR A

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TO MODERATE THE
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE.

CONSTRUCTED SHELTERS WERE ONE MEANS BY WHICH

HUMAN BEINGS WERE ABLE TO ADAPT THEMSELVES TO
A WIDE VARIETY OF CLIMATES AND BECOME A GLOBAL
SPECIES.
STONE AGE
Neolithic, also known as the Old
Stone Age period, from 9000 BC
to 5000 BC.

It was the last period of age

before the use of woodwork in
buildings.

The tools used were from natural

materials, including bone, stone,
antler, hide (animal skin), wood,
grasses and animal fibre.
STONE AGE
Bones such as mammoth ribs,
hide, stone, metal, bark, clay, lime
plaster and more are used as
building materials.

The first mud bricks made with

hands belong to the late Stone
Age period were found in Jericho.

Neolithic architecture ranges from

tents to megalith (an arrangement
of large stones), temples, tombs
and dwellings.
COPPER &
BRONZE AGE
The use of Copper came into
existence before 5000 BC and
Bronze around 3100 BC.

The same types of tools were

used in both ages, such as axes
and chisel which are new, less
brittle, and more durable.

A new tool developed in the

Copper Age is the saw, which
started using rock-cut architecture.
IRON AGE
The Iron Age is between 1200 BC
to 50 BC, with the wide use of iron
for tools and weapons.

The first large-scale buildings

were found in ancient
Mesopotamia. The chief building
material was the mud-brick,
formed in wooden molds. By 3500
BC, fired bricks came into use and
then later developed glazed
brickwork decorating the interiors
and exteriors of the buildings.
IRON AGE
Due to the Arid climatic conditions, the
pharaohs of Egypt built large
structures in stone. Adobe (sun-baked
mud brick) construction was used for
ancillary buildings and houses in
ancient times.

They have invented many things like

ramp, lever, lathe, oven, ship, paper,
irrigation system, window awning,
door, glass, plaster of Paris, lock, the
bath, shadoof, measurement system,
weaving, geometry, silo, saw, steam
power, veneer, plywood, rope truss
and more.
IRON AGE
Most structures built by Greeks are
out of mud-brick, leaving no record
behind them. The Greeks discovered
much advancement in technology
including, plumbing, central heating,
the spiral staircase, urban planning,
the water wheel, crane, and more.

The oldest construction drawing in

the world is in the Temple of Apollo
at Didyma. Greeks did construct
some groin vaults, arch bridges, and
with the help of Egyptians, the first
high rise known as Light House of
Alexandria.
IRON AGE
The Roman development in building
materials was the use of hydraulic lime
mortar called Roman Cement. The
concrete was made of rubber and
hydraulic lime mortar, which was
cheap and very easy to produce.

The Romans also made bronze roof

tiles. Lead was used for roof covering
material, water supply and water
pipes. They also used glass for
construction, coloured glass in
mosaics and clear glass in public
buildings.
IRON AGE

China played a crucial role in

building construction in Eastern
Asia. Many Far East building
methods and styles evolved from it,
and a famous example is the Great
Wall of China, built between the 7th
and 2nd centuries BC. The wall is
built with stones, rammed earth,
wood, later bricks, and tiles with
lime mortar.
MEDIEVAL
The Middle Ages of Europeans from
the 5th to 15th centuries AD is known
to be the Medieval Age. It is the end
of the Roman era and the beginning
of the great construction projects like
castles, cathedrals and fortifications.

In Italy, the craft of brick-making had

disappeared largely after 1000 AD
and with it the burning of tiles. Brick
remained the most precious material
throughout the period in places like
the Netherlands, Denmark, Northern
Germany, and Poland.
RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance is from the 14th
century to the 17th century.

The major breakthrough is adopting

technology, wherein most Western
Europe, water mills were used to saw
timber and convert trees into planks.
Architects have started using
ironwork in roof carpentry for straps
and tension members.

In Italy, roofing was typical with

terracotta roofing tiles, whereas
stone remained preferable material
for prestigious buildings.
17TH CENTURY
Manufacturing of glass took place in
this period, with the first cast plate
glass being developed in France.

Most buildings had stone ashlar

surfaces covering rubber cores bind
together with lime mortar.

A complex system of pulleys was

used to lift the heavy loads, and
long ramps were used to haul loads
to the higher parts of the buildings.
18TH CENTURY

The architects and engineers

became highly professionalized and
started experiments in science and
mathematical methods related to
construction.

Both cast iron and wrought iron is

the breakthrough. Steel was used
only in the manufacture of tools, as
it could not be made in sufficient
quantities to be used in buildings.
19TH CENTURY
(INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION)
From the mid-19th century, steel was
mass-produced and used in I-beams and
reinforced concrete.

Glass panes also went into mass

production and became luxurious in
every building construction.

The introduction of Plumbing gave

common access to drinking water and
sewage collection.

Since the 19th century, Building codes

have been applied with particular
reverence to fire safety.
20TH CENTURY
(INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION)
New construction technologies
were introduced, including
Prefabrication and Computer-Aided
Design. While heavy equipment and
power tools decreased the
workforce needed, elevators and
cranes made high-rise buildings and
skyscrapers possible.

By the end of the 20th century,

concrete and steel construction
became themselves the subject of
the construction revolution.
 “THE NATURE OF THE MATERIALS EMPLOYED IN
CONSTRUCTION IS INHERENT TO THE TRUE NATURE OF
EVERY GOOD BUILDING, THAT IS, OF THE KIND OF
CONSTRUCTION WE CALL ARCHITECTURE.”

“A HOUSE WILL GLORIFY THE MATERIAL OF WHICH IT

IS COMPOSED.”

-FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT-