Unit 101 - Lesson 4

​Traditional Buildings

A traditional building is one that was built before 1919 using solid wall construction methods, usually using locally sourced stone, slate, brick or timber.
Many traditional buildings have a historical and cultural importance to the heritage of Wales. These buildings are often listed.

• Stone used for durability

• Some brick in use

• Many building designs similar to traditional medieval styles

• Structures built with heavy timber frames

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​1550

• Stone still used extensively

• Building skills training improving in the crafts of joinery and brickwork

• Greater use of decorative features

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​1650

• Use of dressed stone to produce complex decorative features

• Stone tiles used for roof coverings, as well as slate

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​1750

• Greater use of brick and stucco, smooth coating applied over masonry

• Sophisticated designs

• Technological advances see the increasing use of innovative materials such as iron, larger panes of glass and concrete

• Shift from local to mass-produced materials

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​1850

• Solid wall construction replaced by cavity walls

• Reconstruction after WW2 required faster building methods

• Simpler architectural approach

• Use of corrugated iron for roofs

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​1950

​Modern Buildings

With the development of technology and new materials in construction, buildings have been able to be upscaled to facilitate larger open-plan spaces, taller buildings and large glass facades, that would have been too expensive to be viable prior to the mid-20th century.

• Cavity walls constructed in masonry giving way to a range of materials, including structural steel frames and reinforced concrete

• Larger internal spaces offering flexibility

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​1960

• New materials and ideas expressed in architecture

• Many attractive building designs making use of new technologies and manufacturing techniques

• New methods of glass manufacturing, allowing imaginative design

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​1980

• Renewed emphasis on 'statement' buildings for public use

• Striking use of local materials

• Greater consideration of environmental impact throughout the working life of a building.

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2000