Questions tagged [construction]
Questions regarding the history of constructing any type of installations or infrastructure.
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How was the first carpenter's square made?
A "square" is a tool, typically L or triangle shaped, that gives a craftsperson a quick and accurate 90° angle to use as a baseline in many important trades.
It's easy to find a right angle if you ...
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Why did the UK use hewn stone cubes for homes far more often than France?
Why did the UK use hewn stone cubes (ashlar masonry) for homes far more often than France in the previous centuries?
It would be rare to find this kind of rustic stone (rubble masonry ) in the UK, ...
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How long would it take to build 30 miles of Roman road?
Say there's a route of 30 miles length in need of a road. Assume ready availability of stone and lime and possibly other materials. Some gentle slopes, no particularly adverse terrain or flora/fauna.
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Why does Japan use the same type of AC power outlet as the US?
Does it have something to do with the US taking part in aiding reconstruction of the country after WWII? I've tried googling around for an answer, but every site I find simply states the outlet style, ...
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Why are most of the world's oldest buildings in Europe and not in the Fertile Crescent?
Looking at the list of the world's ten oldest surviving human constructed buildings, many are in Europe while the oldest building in what (with a generous interpretation of the concept) could be ...
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What are good predictors of the construction year of residential buildings? [closed]
I follow a suggestion from a question on meta stackexchange to ask about actual, physical architecture here. I hope that is acceptable.
I am interested in the information and features which a ...
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Is a wheel older than a wall?
I caught a snippet from the president’s remarks. He was talking about the wheel and how it is older than the wall.
Is there historical fact to back such a statement? Or the other way around?
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When did *wooden* 'nails' (pegs) for clay roof tiles go out of fashion?
Judging by Google searches, wooden 'nails' for fixing roof tiles are definitely a thing of the past. However almost all the searches I have attempted (in an area I don't know my way around) have only ...
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Did New York skyscrapers construction workers take any industrial action over safety concerns?
This video talks about the construction of New York's skyscrapers such as the Chrysler Building and Empire State by the 'roughnecks', a specialized set of construction workers who worked high in the ...
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What is the oldest road tunnel in the world?
At the Furlo Pass in the Apennines, the Via Flaminia passes through a tunnel built in 76 - 77 AD during the time of Emperor Vespasian, replacing an earlier tunnel.
The tunnel built during the time of ...
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Did the Romans use any other materials to reinforce their concrete?
I have been reading about Roman concrete (300BC-300AD) and how it has greater strength than current concrete mixtures. So far, my research has shown that they did not use re-bar in their structures. ...
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How many people were needed to build a country house?
After visiting the Wimpole Estate in England, I'm wondering how many people would have been needed to make such a project viable.
The country house on the site today started construction in 1640, ...
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What was a cistern to the Babylonians?
I am working with Babylonian math and some word problems mention an object called a cistern. I looked this up and it seems it can be any tank of water. Some are cylindrical, others rectangular, and ...
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Did anyone ever try to beat the Great Wall of China by digging secret tunnels under it?
I know the Great Wall was useful to defend against enemies on land, but is there any record that people ever tried to beat the Great Wall by digging tunnels under it? If not, why didn't it happen?
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Why are so many metros underground? Isn't that more expensive than an elevated system?
Starting with the London Underground in 1863, why are so many metros/subways built underground (as opposed to en elevated metro)? This requires a lot of digging and excavation, which to me seems a lot ...
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