The Elements of Construction

"A pioneer of architecture education in the United States, N. Clifford Ricker notably taught with an emphasis on construction and shop practice in his teaching. Marci S. Uihlein edits and elaborates on The Elements of Construction, the text on building materials that Ricker wrote and used in his teaching, but never published. The book is a window into the expanding possibilities of the late nineteenth-century, as Ricker continually revised The Elements of Construction to keep up with advances taking place in architecture, materials, and construction technology. In addition to providing the full text, Uihlein and the contributors trace Ricker's career and delves into his practice of teaching. She also surveys contemporary construction practices in Chicago and considers Ricker's text in the context of similar books of the time. Five chapters by subject experts examine specific topics: the state of skyscraper art in Chicago; construction technology publishing; the evolution of foundations in Chicago; masonry know-how and testing; and the teaching of iron and steel construction. An illuminating look at a field and a legacy, The Elements of Construction rediscovers a figure that shaped the teaching of architecture and trained a generation that forever changed Chicago"--