Twentieth Century Building Materials, History and Conservation
by Ed Buch, CSI, CCS, AIA
Twentieth Century Building Materials, History and Conservation, (McGraw-Hill, 1995, 352 pages), edited by Thomas C. Jester, an architectural historian with the Preservation Assistance Division of the National Park Service, is a well written, in depth, and richly illustrated book. Developed by the National Park Service as a resource in support of restoration professionals working on historic preservation projects, this book is also valuable to architects, specifiers, and product reps who want a better understanding of many traditional building materials still in use today.
The scope of the materials presented in comprehensive. Each of the 36 chapters presents a different product or material, each written by an expert in the subject. These range from aluminum, to monel, and nickel silver in the metals, to glue-lam timber, terra cotta, prismatic glass, glass block, linoleum flooring, and porcelain enamel wall panels to name just a few. Each chapter begins with the history of the material and how it was, or is, manufactured. This is followed by a section on how the material has been used through the years. A conservation section follows which includes a discussion on the principal deterioration mechanisms and conservation or replacement techniques. The excellent illustrations include reproductions of original advertising material along with some architect’s drawings.
This book is more than a catalog of materials. The introductory essay by Michael A Tomlan, Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at Cornell University, provides an excellent overview of the development of architectural materials in the twentieth century. He relates this development to significant historical events such as the two world wars, the Great Depression of the 1930s, the explosion in materials development in the 1950s and 1960s, and finally, the impact on construction materials resulting from research in the space age. In a sense, the book is a cultural history of America as well as a tool for architects to use in preserving our architectural legacy.
I have been asked where I find the books I have reported on in this column. Bookstores are the obvious place to start, even the Borders and Barnes & Noble variety sometimes have a good selection. Used bookstores are another excellent source so long as you enjoy the hunt. The best thing about used bookstores is stumbling onto a book you didn’t know you wanted. Probably the easiest place to locate hard to find books is online. I’ve used both www.alibris.com and www.bookfinder.com to purchase books, especially ones that are out of print. Happy hunting.
Ed Buch is an architect in the Los Angeles office of Leo A Daly.
A Nebraska native, he has worked in Los Angeles since 1988. Prior
to that, he worked in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, and 5 years
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has been member since 1981, and is
currently an Institute director from the West Region, CSI.
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