Architectural technology, or building technology, is the application of technology to the design of buildings. It is a component of architecture and building engineering and is sometimes viewed as a distinct discipline or sub-category. New materials and technologies generated new design challenges and construction methods throughout the evolution of building, especially since the advent of industrialisation in the 19th century. Architectural technology is related to the different elements of a building and their interactions; it is closely aligned with advances in building science.
Architectural technology can be summarised as the "technical design and expertise used in the application and integration of construction technologies in the building design process." [1] or as "The ability to analyse, synthesise and evaluate building design factors in order to produce efficient and effective technical design solutions which satisfy performance, production and procurement criteria." [2]
Many specialists and professionals consider Vitruvius' theories as the foundations of architectural technology. Vitruvius' attempt to classify building types, styles, materials and construction methods [3] influenced the creation of many disciplines such as civil engineering, structural engineering, architectural technology and other practices which, now and since the 19th century, form a conceptual framework for architectural design. According to Stephen Emmitt, "The relationship between building technology and design can be traced back to the Enlightenment and the industrial revolution, a period when advances in technology and science were seen as the way forward, and times of solid faith in progress... As technologies multiply in number and complexity the building profession started to fragment." [4]
Until the twentieth century, the materials used for building were limited to brick, stone, timber and steel to form structures, slate and tiles for roof coverings, lead and sometimes copper for waterproofing details and decorative roofing effects. The Romans used concrete, but it was virtually unknown as a building material until the invention of reinforced concrete in 1849. [5] Modern construction is much more complex, with walls, floors and roofs all built up from many elements to include structure, insulation and waterproofing often as separate layers or elements.
Architectural technology is a discipline that spans architecture, building science and engineering. It is informed by both practical constraints, and building regulations, as well as standards relating to safety, environmental performance, fire resistance, etc. It is practiced by architects, architectural technologists, structural engineers, architectural/building engineers and others who develop the design/concept into a buildable reality. Specialist manufacturers who develop products used to construct buildings, are also involved in the discipline.
In practice, architectural technology is developed, understood and integrated into a building by producing architectural drawings and schedules. Computer technology is now used on all but the simplest building types. During the twentieth century, the use of computer aided design (CAD) became mainstream, allowing for highly accurate drawings that can be shared electronically, so that for example the architectural plans can be used as the basis for designing electrical and air handling services. [6] As the design develops, that information can be shared with the whole design team. That process is currently taken to a logical conclusion with Building Information Modeling (BIM), which uses a three dimensional model of the building, created with input from all the disciplines to build up an integrated design.
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that have human occupancy or use as their principal purpose. Etymologically, the term architect derives from the Latin architectus, which derives from the Greek, i.e., chief builder.
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.
Vitruvius was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work titled De architectura. As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissance as the first book on architectural theory, as well as a major source on the canon of classical architecture. It is not clear to what extent his contemporaries regarded his book as original or important.
Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and calculate the stability, strength, rigidity and earthquake-susceptibility of built structures for buildings and nonbuilding structures. The structural designs are integrated with those of other designers such as architects and building services engineer and often supervise the construction of projects by contractors on site. They can also be involved in the design of machinery, medical equipment, and vehicles where structural integrity affects functioning and safety. See glossary of structural engineering.
Highway engineering is a professional engineering discipline branching from the civil engineering subdiscipline of transportation engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, highways, streets, bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and goods. Highway engineering became prominent towards the latter half of the 20th century after World War II. Standards of highway engineering are continuously being improved. Highway engineers must take into account future traffic flows, design of highway intersections/interchanges, geometric alignment and design, highway pavement materials and design, structural design of pavement thickness, and pavement maintenance.
De architectura is a treatise on architecture written by the Roman architect and military engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio and dedicated to his patron, the emperor Caesar Augustus, as a guide for building projects. As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissance as the first known book on architectural theory, as well as a major source on the canon of classical architecture.
Waterproofing is the process of making an object or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environments or underwater to specified depths.
The architectural technologist, also known as a building technologist, provides technical building design services and is trained in architectural technology, building technical design and construction.
High-tech architecture, also known as structural expressionism, is a type of late modernist architecture that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements of high tech industry and technology into building design. High-tech architecture grew from the modernist style, utilizing new advances in technology and building materials. It emphasizes transparency in design and construction, seeking to communicate the underlying structure and function of a building throughout its interior and exterior. High-tech architecture makes extensive use of aluminium, steel, glass, and to a lesser extent concrete, as these materials were becoming more advanced and available in a wider variety of forms at the time the style was developing – generally, advancements in a trend towards lightness of weight.
Architecture – the process and the product of designing and constructing buildings. Architectural works with a certain indefinable combination of design quality and external circumstances may become cultural symbols and / or be considered works of art.
A building engineer is recognised as being expert in the use of technology for the design, construction, assessment and maintenance of the built environment. Commercial Building Engineers are concerned with the planning, design, construction, operation, renovation, and maintenance of buildings, as well as with their impacts on the surrounding environment.
The history of construction traces the changes in building tools, methods, techniques and systems used in the field of construction. It explains the evolution of how humans created shelter and other structures that comprises the entire built environment. It covers several fields including structural engineering, civil engineering, city growth and population growth, which are relatives to branches of technology, science, history, and architecture. The fields allow both modern and ancient construction to be analyzed, as well as the structures, building materials, and tools used.
Architectural Engineer (PE) is a professional engineering designation in the United States. The architectural engineer applies the knowledge and skills of broader engineering disciplines to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and renovation of buildings and their component systems while paying careful attention to their effects on the surrounding environment.
The history of structural engineering dates back to at least 2700 BC when the step pyramid for Pharaoh Djoser was built by Imhotep, the first architect in history known by name. Pyramids were the most common major structures built by ancient civilizations because it is a structural form which is inherently stable and can be almost infinitely scaled.
A drafter is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for machinery, buildings, electronics, infrastructure, sections, etc. Drafters use computer software and manual sketches to convert the designs, plans, and layouts of engineers and architects into a set of technical drawings. Drafters operate as the supporting developers and sketch engineering designs and drawings from preliminary design concepts.
Architectural engineering or architecture engineering, also known as building engineering, is a discipline that deals with the engineering and construction of buildings, such as structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting, environmental, climate control, telecommunications, security, and other areas. It is related to both architecture and civil engineering, and distinguished from architectural design, as an art and science of designing buildings.
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures. The term comes from Latin architectura; from Ancient Greek ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn) 'architect'; from ἀρχι- (arkhi-) 'chief', and τέκτων (téktōn) 'creator'. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.
An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building that falls within the definition of architecture. Architectural drawings are used by architects and others for a number of purposes: to develop a design idea into a coherent proposal, to communicate ideas and concepts, to convince clients of the merits of a design, to assist a building contractor to construct it based on design intent, as a record of the design and planned development, or to make a record of a building that already exists.
Valery Samuilovich Shmukler was a Ukrainian engineer, an expert in the field of construction, reconstruction, the theory of structural systems, information technology, calculation and design of structures, and methods of optimization and rationalization of the scientific theory of rationalization building constructions. He was an academician of the Academy of Construction of Ukraine (1999), doctor of technical sciences (1997), professor (2001), winner of the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Architecture (1995), Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology (2020), Honored Scientist of Ukraine (2015), emeritus professor of Kharkiv National Academy of Urban Economy (2014), chief of the department of building construction of Kharkiv National Academy of Urban Economy, a member of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures IASS (1980), and a member of the American Concrete Institute (1997).
Architecture has been closely associated with engineering in the history of the building construction. The engineering for buildings was determined empirically in the early periods; later, scientific calculations for structures were developed in the 17th century, and engineering was taught as a separate course in the 18th century. Architectural engineering was established as a discipline in the formal realm of engineering in the late 19th century when the University of Illinois became the first of many universities to offer an architectural engineering program. The university with the longest ABET accreditation is Pennsylvania State University, which received theirs in 1935.