Article published in the journal Construction History. Full reference: J. Dobbels, I. Bertels and... more Article published in the journal Construction History. Full reference: J. Dobbels, I. Bertels and I. Wouters, 'The general contractor, the architect and the engineer. The contractors' path to become professional building practitioners in Belgium (1870-1960)', Construction History, 32, 2, 2017, p.19-38. The turn of the twentieth century was a turning point for the Belgian construction sector. The emergence of general contractors enacted a re-examination of job responsibilities among general contractors, architects and engineers. This paper analyses four general contractors’ periodicals in order to sketch the professionalization of Belgian general contractors, claiming their new position as organisers and executors of construction, and their interprofessional interaction with architects and engineers. The content and publication context of the contractors’ periodicals is sketched and they are placed within the broad international research context of contemporary construction related periodicals. Their content analysis reveals the strong international embedding of the contractors’ professionalization trajectory. Furthermore it becomes clear that it took a very long time to capture the gradual shift of professional tasks legally. Belgian engineers succeeded first in the 1890s, followed by the architects in the 1930s and the general contractors in the 1940s and 1950s. This slow adaptation of the legislative context gave rise to many conflicts on job responsibilities, yet also collaborative actions were undertaken, as the joint arbitration committees for construction related disputes. This allows us to conclude that general contractors, architects and engineers mainly engaged in conversation with each other in order to identify and outline their changing functions and responsibilities.
This paper aims to trace back the design methods available to Belgian engineers for the construct... more This paper aims to trace back the design methods available to Belgian engineers for the construction of timber roof structures between 1840 and 1914. Based on the literature of that period, we investigate the evolution of the calculation methods, the innovative connection techniques and their impact on the built typologies. This study contributes to a better insight into the roots of timber engineering in Belgium, while positioning this evolution in an international framework. It demonstrates how iron engineering has inspired and speeded up the transition from traditional carpentry to timber engineering. Moreover, it provides valuable information to current professionals who are facing the structural assessment of these historic structures.
Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, 2016
In the post-war period many prefabricated systems for 3D building units were developed, but only ... more In the post-war period many prefabricated systems for 3D building units were developed, but only few were successful on an international level. The Variel system, developed by the Swiss architect Fritz Stucky, was serial produced in large quantities all over the world. In Belgium, Eternit became a licensee of Variel in 1970 and soon afterwards the first Belgian Variel factory was built in Seilles. By the 1980s the market for prefabricated 3D units in concrete collapsed and also in Belgium Variel units were no longer fabricated. This paper goes into the technical evolution of the prefabricated Variel units built and designed in the 1970s and 1980s in Belgium by studying five designs of the Belgian architect Willy Van Der Meeren. During that period the span of the modules increased, the construction of the concrete slabs changed and the composition of walls, floors and roofs evolved to comply with new standards.
ABSTRACT Glass was used since the Roman age in the building envelope, but it became widely applie... more ABSTRACT Glass was used since the Roman age in the building envelope, but it became widely applied together with iron since the 19th century. Belgium was a major producer of window glass during the nineteenth century and the majority of the produced window glass was exported all over the world. Investigating the literature on the development of 19th century Belgian window glass production is therefore internationally relevant. In the 17th century, wood was replaced as a fuel by coal. In the 19th century, the regenerative tank furnace applied gas as a fuel in a continuous glass production process. The advantages were a clean production, a more constant and higher temperature in the furnace and a fuel saving. The French chemist Nicolas Leblanc (1787-1793) and later the Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay (1863) invented processes to produce alkali out of common salt. The artificial soda ash improved the quality and aesthetics of the glass plates. During the 19th century, the glass production was industrialized, influencing the operation of furnaces, the improvement of raw materials as well as the applied energy sources. Although the production process was industrialized, glassblowing was still the work of an individual. By improving his work tools, he was able to create larger glass plates. The developments in the annealing process followed this evolution. The industry had to wait until the invention of the drawn glass in the beginning of the 20th century to fully industrialise the window glass manufacture process.
While moving towards a sustainable society, conservation and reuse of valuable industrial heritag... more While moving towards a sustainable society, conservation and reuse of valuable industrial heritage is becoming more and more important from a social, cultural and historical point of view. The reinforced concrete industrial buildings that were built in the early 20th century, ...
From the 19th century onwards, with the introduction of new materials, such as iron and reinforce... more From the 19th century onwards, with the introduction of new materials, such as iron and reinforced concrete, there was a significant change in construction, and vaults were gradually abandoned. However, before the Modern Movement, in the age of historicism, vaults were still used in churches and representative buildings. In the handbooks and treatises of the time, the more traditional techniques were included alongside the more modern ones and it is not uncommon, even well into the 20th century, to find chapters devoted to the construction of vaults. The search for economy in construction became particularly necessary in the post-war periods when many historic buildings had to be rebuilt. Traditional techniques of lightweight vault construction were used and the possibilities of new techniques were incorporated. Even some systems were patented. This article deals with the construction of light vaults between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries in Belgium, one of the pioneering count...
Material selection in architecture is not always based on conscious and well-considered decisions... more Material selection in architecture is not always based on conscious and well-considered decisions. This paper aims to get a better insight in the aspects that contribute to these decisions taken during the material selection process. A focus group study and in-depth interviews allowed to identify 'context', 'manufacturing process', 'experience', and 'material aspects' as the elements that are considered by architects when selecting materials. In this paper, the interaction between the different aspects is investigated and discussed. The context will create a set of preconditions to start from or to frame and guide decisions in the other fields. Aspects concerning the experience, manufacturing process, and the material behavior, will interact and influence each other and will be considered based on the given context. In order to make justifiable material choices, the architect will run through all four considerations before making a final material deci...
Article published in the journal Construction History. Full reference: J. Dobbels, I. Bertels and... more Article published in the journal Construction History. Full reference: J. Dobbels, I. Bertels and I. Wouters, 'The general contractor, the architect and the engineer. The contractors' path to become professional building practitioners in Belgium (1870-1960)', Construction History, 32, 2, 2017, p.19-38. The turn of the twentieth century was a turning point for the Belgian construction sector. The emergence of general contractors enacted a re-examination of job responsibilities among general contractors, architects and engineers. This paper analyses four general contractors’ periodicals in order to sketch the professionalization of Belgian general contractors, claiming their new position as organisers and executors of construction, and their interprofessional interaction with architects and engineers. The content and publication context of the contractors’ periodicals is sketched and they are placed within the broad international research context of contemporary construction related periodicals. Their content analysis reveals the strong international embedding of the contractors’ professionalization trajectory. Furthermore it becomes clear that it took a very long time to capture the gradual shift of professional tasks legally. Belgian engineers succeeded first in the 1890s, followed by the architects in the 1930s and the general contractors in the 1940s and 1950s. This slow adaptation of the legislative context gave rise to many conflicts on job responsibilities, yet also collaborative actions were undertaken, as the joint arbitration committees for construction related disputes. This allows us to conclude that general contractors, architects and engineers mainly engaged in conversation with each other in order to identify and outline their changing functions and responsibilities.
This paper aims to trace back the design methods available to Belgian engineers for the construct... more This paper aims to trace back the design methods available to Belgian engineers for the construction of timber roof structures between 1840 and 1914. Based on the literature of that period, we investigate the evolution of the calculation methods, the innovative connection techniques and their impact on the built typologies. This study contributes to a better insight into the roots of timber engineering in Belgium, while positioning this evolution in an international framework. It demonstrates how iron engineering has inspired and speeded up the transition from traditional carpentry to timber engineering. Moreover, it provides valuable information to current professionals who are facing the structural assessment of these historic structures.
Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions, 2016
In the post-war period many prefabricated systems for 3D building units were developed, but only ... more In the post-war period many prefabricated systems for 3D building units were developed, but only few were successful on an international level. The Variel system, developed by the Swiss architect Fritz Stucky, was serial produced in large quantities all over the world. In Belgium, Eternit became a licensee of Variel in 1970 and soon afterwards the first Belgian Variel factory was built in Seilles. By the 1980s the market for prefabricated 3D units in concrete collapsed and also in Belgium Variel units were no longer fabricated. This paper goes into the technical evolution of the prefabricated Variel units built and designed in the 1970s and 1980s in Belgium by studying five designs of the Belgian architect Willy Van Der Meeren. During that period the span of the modules increased, the construction of the concrete slabs changed and the composition of walls, floors and roofs evolved to comply with new standards.
ABSTRACT Glass was used since the Roman age in the building envelope, but it became widely applie... more ABSTRACT Glass was used since the Roman age in the building envelope, but it became widely applied together with iron since the 19th century. Belgium was a major producer of window glass during the nineteenth century and the majority of the produced window glass was exported all over the world. Investigating the literature on the development of 19th century Belgian window glass production is therefore internationally relevant. In the 17th century, wood was replaced as a fuel by coal. In the 19th century, the regenerative tank furnace applied gas as a fuel in a continuous glass production process. The advantages were a clean production, a more constant and higher temperature in the furnace and a fuel saving. The French chemist Nicolas Leblanc (1787-1793) and later the Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay (1863) invented processes to produce alkali out of common salt. The artificial soda ash improved the quality and aesthetics of the glass plates. During the 19th century, the glass production was industrialized, influencing the operation of furnaces, the improvement of raw materials as well as the applied energy sources. Although the production process was industrialized, glassblowing was still the work of an individual. By improving his work tools, he was able to create larger glass plates. The developments in the annealing process followed this evolution. The industry had to wait until the invention of the drawn glass in the beginning of the 20th century to fully industrialise the window glass manufacture process.
While moving towards a sustainable society, conservation and reuse of valuable industrial heritag... more While moving towards a sustainable society, conservation and reuse of valuable industrial heritage is becoming more and more important from a social, cultural and historical point of view. The reinforced concrete industrial buildings that were built in the early 20th century, ...
From the 19th century onwards, with the introduction of new materials, such as iron and reinforce... more From the 19th century onwards, with the introduction of new materials, such as iron and reinforced concrete, there was a significant change in construction, and vaults were gradually abandoned. However, before the Modern Movement, in the age of historicism, vaults were still used in churches and representative buildings. In the handbooks and treatises of the time, the more traditional techniques were included alongside the more modern ones and it is not uncommon, even well into the 20th century, to find chapters devoted to the construction of vaults. The search for economy in construction became particularly necessary in the post-war periods when many historic buildings had to be rebuilt. Traditional techniques of lightweight vault construction were used and the possibilities of new techniques were incorporated. Even some systems were patented. This article deals with the construction of light vaults between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries in Belgium, one of the pioneering count...
Material selection in architecture is not always based on conscious and well-considered decisions... more Material selection in architecture is not always based on conscious and well-considered decisions. This paper aims to get a better insight in the aspects that contribute to these decisions taken during the material selection process. A focus group study and in-depth interviews allowed to identify 'context', 'manufacturing process', 'experience', and 'material aspects' as the elements that are considered by architects when selecting materials. In this paper, the interaction between the different aspects is investigated and discussed. The context will create a set of preconditions to start from or to frame and guide decisions in the other fields. Aspects concerning the experience, manufacturing process, and the material behavior, will interact and influence each other and will be considered based on the given context. In order to make justifiable material choices, the architect will run through all four considerations before making a final material deci...
Uploads
Papers by Ine Wouters