Timber structures
Fig. 6.15 Ragnitz Church
Hall, Graz, Austria,
Szyszkowitz and Kowalski,
architects. The roof of this
building is supported by a
timber skeleton framework
which has a significant
architectural presence.
[Photo: E. & F. McLachlan]
6.2.5 Twentieth-century developments
All three structure types which have been
described in the preceding sections are in
current use. Large timber trusses are used as
the horizontal structures in wide-span build-
ings, timber wallframe houses account for a
significant proportion of domestic buildings
and the distinctive skeleton frame in timber is
still part of the architectural vocabulary. The
structures of the present day are significantly
different from those of previous centuries due
to recent developments in the technology of
timber. In particular, modern timber structures
are lighter and they are also more precisely
crafted. The two very significant developments
which have occurred in the twentieth century 189
