Could the most common building material be so valuable that it should be considered for preservation and restoration as a precious original material? The doctoral thesis shows that in some cases it is possible. The problem of valuation is unraveled on the example of four construction materials that were widespread in Estonia in the 20th century. A comprehensive overview of the history of the use of concrete stones, silicate bricks, silicate large blocks and reinforced concrete large panels also gives a good picture of the construction culture of Estonia at the time and its change, when the hand-intensive production and construction method was replaced step by step by industrialized construction.
The research work has a clear applied value: its results allow architectural historians, heritage protection specialists, construction engineers, house owners and others to make a more considered restoration decision about the building materials in question, thus helping to preserve Estonian cultural heritage in a more informed way.
Supervisors: Mart Kalm, PhD, Lembi-Merike Raado, PhD
External Reviewers: Karl Õiger, EngD, Kurmo Konsa, PhD
Opponent: Karl Õigel, EngD
Language editor: Mari Klein
Translators: Ulvi Haagensen, Michael Haagensen
Graphic design: Kristo Kooskora
Dissertations Academiae Artium Estoniae 29
224 pages, in Estonian, with an English summary
Estonian Academy of Arts, 2019
ISBN 978-9949-594-86-3 (print)
ISBN 978-9949-594-87-0 (pdf)
ISSN 1736-2261