1. MATERIALS IN ARCHITECTURE

Since the beginning of human history, construction materials and methods have been key factors in the development of human dwellings. Each material invented has shaped a new era of architectural history. The world’s first permanent buildings were probably constructed during the neolithic revolution when humans moved from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture.

1.1.BRICKS (9,000 BCE)

With the first settlements appearing in the middle east, the first construction materials were likely to have been sunbaked clay bricks. Bricks are still one of the world’s most common construction materials.

1.2. TIMBER (8,500 BCE)

In 2010, archeologists dated the remains of a wooden hut unearthed in England to around 8,500 BCE, making it the oldest recorded evidence of a timber structure. Evidence of what would have been a 3.5-meter diameter house has been found at the Star Carr archaeological site, which was occupied by hunter, gatherers 11,000 years ago when Britain was attached to continental Europe. The remains were dated by radiocarbon and the type of tools used - which have identified the house as being from 8,500 BC, older than the previously oldest known house, in Howick, Northumberland. The people living here would have been among the first settlers returning after the glaciers of the ice age had retreated.

1.3.GRANITE, LIMESTONE (3,100 BCE)

The ancient Egyptians were among the 1st civilizations to build their monumental structures in stones, primarily using locally available granite and limestone. The most famous pyramids are the Egyptian — huge structures built of brick or stone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. They are shaped as a reference to the rays of the sun. Most pyramids had a polished, highly reflective white limestone surface, to give them a shining appearance when viewed from a distance. The capstone was usually made of hard stone – granite or basalt – and could be plated with gold, silver, or electrum and would also be highly reflective.

1.4.MARBLE (650 BCE)

It was around 650 BCE That the ancient Greeks began to build their temples in stone rather than timber. For them, marble was simply the locally available choice. However, it gained an aura of majesty after the Romans, and later renaissance builders, went to great lengths to acquire marble to emulate the beauty of Greek temples.

1.5. CONCRETE (20)

Though some may associate concrete with modern buildings, it has been in use since Roman times, with Vitruvius outlining a recipe of sorts in his 10 books on architecture. The famous dome of the Pantheon was constructed in concrete and remains the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.

1.6.GLASS (100)

Glass windows were another Roman invention, with their first appearance in Roman-era Egypt. These windows, made by simply flattening blown glass, had poor optical qualities. New methods of manufacturing in the 12th and 13th centuries would produce glasses, of higher quality (broadsheet and crown glasses) An important factor in the development of Gothic cathedrals around this time.

1.7.IRON (700)

Though iron had been used in buildings for centuries (iron ties stabilized Roman arches, for example), the first known use of iron as a primary structural material was in late 7th century China, when the Tang dynasty constructed a number of cast-iron pagodas. After the Tang Dynasty’s demise, iron was largely forgotten as a construction material for almost 1000 years.

1.8.IRON (Reinvented) 1775

Iron was rediscovered as a construction material in 1775 when it was used to build the iron brigade in England. Iron structures were an important feature in the industrial revolution; the development of iron buildings would lay the groundwork for the modern steel industry.

1.9.ENGINEERED TIMBER (1852)

the first use of engineered timber was in the church of St. Luke in Formby, England, which used something resembling modern Glulam beams. However, the invention of a range of engineered timber products can be credited to Otto Hetzer, who patented a series of designs beginning in 1892.

1.10. ASBESTOS (1866)

Though Asbestos had been used for millennia, it wasn’t until 1866 that it was first used as an insulating material in a building. Over the next century, it began to be incorporated into a huge variety of construction materials thanks to its fire-resistant and insulating qualities. However, its use has dwindled, since it was shown to cause a range of health problems; it is now outlawed in many countries.

1.11. STEEL (1890)

Henry Bessemer invented his modern steel-making process in 1855, but it wasn’t until around 1890 that the process was refined enough for construction. The first steel constructions on both sides of the Atlantic were the Rand McNally Building in Chicago and the Forth Bridge in Edinburgh. Over the ensuing years, steel began to replace iron throughout the construction industry.

1.12. PVC (1926)

The 20th century saw a huge boom in the discovery and production of various plastics. One of the more important in architecture is PVC, which has come to be used in a huge range of building finishes.

1.13. REINFORCED CONCRETE (1950) Reinforced concrete was invented by Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. By combining concrete with iron (and lateral steel), Monier added tensile strength to concrete, which made it possible to use for structural beams. Reinforce concrete became the material of choice for many modern architects from the 1950s onwards.

1.14. FLOAT GLASS (1959)

Float glass is made by floating molten glass on a bath of molten tin. Though it had been used before, it was in

1959 when Sir Alastair Pilkington discovered a successful way to industrialize it. This method allowed for large panes of high-quality glass at a much lower price and has contributed significantly to modern architecture.

1.15. PLASTIC TENSILE STRUCTURES (1967)

THE RANGE and availability of plastics

increased dramatically in the 20th century. A PVC tensile membrane was used for Frei Otto’s design for the West German Pavilion at the 1967 Expo in Montreal, Canada.

1.16. ETFE(1982)

Though it had been around for decades, it wasn’t until the 1980s that German Engineer Stefan Lehnert saw ETFE’s potential as a building material, allowing for buildings such as the Eden Project and the Beijing National Aquatics Center.

ETFE – Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene