Material, Construction, Design The substructure of design and aspects of the ‘polytechnic’ in the architecture of Heinrich Hübsch between 1820 and 1860

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Dorothea Roos
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 398593868

The aim of the project is to work on two new topics that have opened up with new questions and aspects during the previous investigations and whose examination promises an interesting additional gain in knowledge that surpasses the previous approach and completes the investigations.1. The research on building material and construction have shown a close connection between the work of Heinrich Hübsch and the development and establishment of an early building industry in the North of Baden. This topic, which has not been studied so far, is to be examined and presented with regard to the Baudirektion's input for the Hübsch era (1825– 1865). The topic is essential for understanding the work in the Baudirektion and the aspects referred to in the project title, since it has a very direct impact on design and practice of building and construction.2. In the course of the building surveys and investigations, it became apparent that it would be of great interest to take a closer look at a representative example of a building in a historical context, in addition to the three main projects, which are new buildings, in order to describe innovative structural solutions. The „Westbau“ of the Speyer Cathedral (1854–58) is particularly suitable for this purpose. It is Hübsch's most important contribution to the subject, and the diocesan archives of Speyer have preserved a unique and hitherto unevaluated collection of sources for the description of construction, materials, and detailing. The work on the construction site and in the planning office is documented in detail in five diaries; in addition with construction drawings and sketches it provides a very unique und direct insight into both the planning processes and the organization and practice of the construction site. In combination with building surveys, the analysis of these sources also promises to provide information about the planners' understanding of the construction of the existing structure as a basis for design and „engineering“ decisions.The new topics and aspects will be integrated as additional chapters or chapter parts in the book publication developed in the project. Additionally the documents and results will be made available to science and conservation practice in open digital access.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants