Profile of the chair
The chair of Construction History deals with historical aspects of
"Architectural Engineering" and with the preservation of historical
structures. Central topics are traditional and historical building methods,
as well as the history of construction, applied geometry and mechanics in
the building industry. This is done from a perspective that is necessarily
interdisciplinary: in order to understand the conceptual, planning, material
science and constructional aspects in their historical development,
engineering methods must be combined with hermeneutical methods of the
humanities.
In the investigation of buildings and the analysis of historical technical
literature, techniques and practices as well as organisational and
communication processes can be grasped, which provide insight into the
knowledge society in which the buildings were built, and which enable
general insights into economic and social history beyond the history of
technology and ideas.
For the preservation of historical buildings, in particular the
conservation, restoration or strengthening of their sturcture, the special
scientific and methodical bases are developed and imparted: Interventions
with the aim of usability and stability in the technical and normative
framework conditions must take into account the character of the monument as
a historical document.
Finally, the consideration of historical construction provides a perspective
for the necessary reflection on today's building and has repeatedly proven
to be an important basis for innovation.
Current events
Lecture "The reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris", Pascal Prunet, Architecte en Chef des Monuments Historiques, Tuesday 11 February 2025, 18:00, BTU Main Campus, Lecture Hall A (Zentralhörsaalgebäude ZHG) as part of the IBK lecture series "Worauf bauen wir?"
Link to the lecture video
2024
Report on the ongoing research on the vaults in Notre Dame in Paris:
D. Wendland, M. Gielen und V. Korensky: Towards the Gothic: Design and construction of the 12th century vaults in Notre‐Dame in Paris, and possible origins. International Journal of Architectural Heritage 2024, DOI: 10.1080/15583058.2024.2427661 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15583058.2024.2427661
Study day "Les dispositifs constructifs provisoires dans l’art de bâtir au Moyen Âge"
Université Bordeaux Montaigne, 15 November 2024, Lecture by D. Wendland: "Traces of making in late Gothic vaults"
Lecture at Fall 2024 AKPIA Lecture Series - A Forum for Islamic Art & Architecture, Boston (Link)
Soheil Nazari: "The Age of Science and Design: A New Survey of Seljuq Dome Chambers in the Isfahan Region and Treatises on Practical Geometry" 19 September 2024, 24:00 (online)
Link for Registration: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KMvUWA_9QfCPUlIxYpzNmQ#/registration
8th International Congress on Construction History, Zurich, 24-28 June 2024
https://8icch.ethz.ch/
Papers by: Mark Gielen, Jonas Lengenfeld, Soheil Nazari, Rebecca Erika Schmitt, Prof. David Wendland
53. Tagung für Ausgrabungswissenschaft und Bauforschung, 8-12 May 2024, Aachen
Dauerhaftigkeit und Effizienz als Prinzipien des antiken Bauwesens
https://koldewey-gesellschaft.de/aktuell/53-tagung-fuer-ausgrabungswissenschaft-und-bauforschung-8-12-mai-2024/
Papers by: Mark Gielen, Vladimir Korensky, Soheil Nazari, Rebecca Erika Schmitt und Prof. David Wendland
Scientifiques au service de la restauration de Notre-Dame de Paris
Information at: http://scientifiquesnotre-dame.strikingly.com/