Plank binder

Plank truss , also called plank arch , is the name for a beam consisting of short plank layers placed vertically next to each other or horizontally on top of one another in a longitudinal offset, pegged, nailed or screwed plank layers . Due to the construction principle of arched rafters or trusses, there is only limited comparability in terms of construction history with the beams made of glued laminated timber that are used today , which also combine smaller wooden components to form a larger load-bearing element.

Construction principles of the plank roofs or plank trusses: FIG. 1 nailed plank structure; Fig. 2 Arch formation without transverse reinforcement

history

At the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries, plank trusses were sometimes popular as plank roofs in Germany because they were supposed to be durable and inexpensive building elements for roof structures , especially for arched roofs and wooden vaults . The use of plank binders goes back to an invention by the French court architect Philibert de l'Orme in the 16th century, which was found in Berlin at the end of the 18th century. taken up and further developed for the German-speaking area. The construction method was propagated and disseminated in numerous publications from 1797, especially by the construction officer, teacher and specialist writer David Gilly . Among other things, it was significant among contemporaries around 1800 that it was hoped that their use would save timber by using inferior crooked timber and make better use of space thanks to the arched roof shape.

After a larger distribution up to the 1830s, plank roofs lost their importance due to structural weaknesses (structural damage), technical difficulties (many nails) and changed aesthetic preferences (flatter roof slopes). In the case of wide-span constructions, especially in hall construction, other arched constructions in wood and - due to technical development - and the new building materials cast iron , steel and reinforced concrete were used instead . In the early 20th century, arched roof shapes experienced a renaissance, which outwardly look similar to the plank roofs around 1800, but are constructed differently than the Zollinger roof with a flat structure.

Historical application examples

• Goethe Theater Bad Lauchstädt
• Anatomical theater of the veterinary school , Berlin (1789–90)
• Jabel village church
• Commercial and administrative building of the estate of the Princely School Grimma in the former Nimbschen monastery
• single-storey wing of the residential and office building of the St.-Antony-Hütte in Oberhausen - Osterfeld
• Village church, Paretz (1797–98) and Gasthof Paretz (1799)
• Ironworks, Peitz
• Quellendorf Customs House
• So-called plank truss house in the Rüdersdorf Museum Park
• Dairy on Pfaueninsel, Berlin (1794–95)
• Parish Church of St. Marien , Neuruppin (1796–97)

literature

• Eckart Rüsch: Building construction between innovation and failure. Verona, Langhans, Gilly and the plank roofs around 1800. Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 1997, ISBN 3-93252-600-7 .

Web link

• Plank trusses and other wooden components (PDF file; 2.48 MB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eckart Rüsch: Building construction between innovation and failure. Verona, Langhans, Gilly and the plank roofs around 1800 . Michael Imhof, Petersberg 1996, ISBN 3-932526-00-7 , p. 8 .
2. ↑ Archive link ( memento of April 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 23, 2016.