From Wattle & Daub to Concrete & Steel: The Engineering Heritage of Australia's Buildings

From Wattle & Daub to Concrete & Steel is the first history of building techniques in Australia, from the primitive buildings of the early colonies to today's high-tech construction methods. Henry Cowan traces construction techniques from the earliest wattle-and-daub, through traditional European construction methods using stone, timber, brick and iron, to the early development of Australian brick veneer and the first buildings using steel frames. He shows how the enormous changes in building technology this century have revolutionised the way we design, use and think about our buildings and how they have shaped our cities and our lives.