Abstract

In 1926, French Jesuit missionaries from Daming published at Xianxian (Hebei province) a little handbook for church construction in Northern China: “Le missionnaire constructeur, conseils-plans” (“The missionary builder: advice-plans”), containing 67 pages of text and 54 plates. After a short introduction about handbooks and pattern books of churches, this paper describes and analyses the handbook׳s content and its different practical aspects about building materials, masonry, roofs, etc. The book, however, is more than a compilation of technical hints and reveals a lot about the missionaries’ perception of Chinese building traditions as well as the transmission of Western techniques to Chinese workers. The paper also contextualizes the handbook and tries to identify both the authors and the addressees. In the mid-1920s, the Vatican launched the Christian inculturation process in China, which concerned architecture too. Nevertheless, many missionaries resisted, preferring Gothic or Italianate architecture to a new Sino-Christian style. The handbook participated in this debate.

Abstract

Built in the artistic splendor that prevailed in the late 19th century, Amazonas Theater is considered the most significant architectural construction of the so-called golden age of rubber, both for the values applied in its construction and for the symbolic importance it assumed, that is, the man's victory over the jungle, financial prosperity and the alleged artistic-cultural effervescence. However, when compared to the millenary constructions of the Ancient World, Amazonas Theater can be considered a “baby” and therefore a source of knowledge to be explored. In this sense, this paper intends to be the first one of a series of other ones that intends to study the behaviour of this structure. The paper is focused on describe the history of the construction of the Amazonas Theater highlighting the structural solution adopted to overcome the logistical challenges faced by a construction carried out in the middle of the largest tropical forest in the world and the main interventions performed during its 123 years. To this end, the building records of the Theater, an indispensable documentary source of the building's history, were consulted.

Abstract

This paper will explore an early reinforced concrete warehouse, constructed from 1906 till 1909, which is the most impressive warehouse in Rijeka Port – with ground floor dimensions equal to 45x100 m, consisting of a basement, high ground floor and three storeys, designed to sustain 15 kN/m2 floor loading. This warehouse is the first building in Rijeka Port constructed entirely as a reinforced concrete structure and demonstrates significant technical achievements, which have not been sufficiently valorised so far. Besides obtaining information about the structural design of early reinforced concrete structures special attention will be given to better understanding of early 20th century construction techniques and particularly to reinforcement detailing, since original plans and construction drawings with detailed information about the reinforcement have been preserved.

Abstract

In the 19th and 20th centuries both iron and steel were worldwide applied to construct structures such as halls, markets, stations and bridges. Belgium, an early industrialised country on the European mainland, was famous for its iron and steel production and the export of iron and steel structures. Nevertheless, most early Belgian construction workshops are under explored. Since the company archives of Belgian construction workshops are seldom preserved, trade catalogues are analysed in this paper to get insight in the structures the workshops built. These catalogues offer a broader context for the individual structures that were transported and built worldwide.