The ‘Scientification’ of Technology

In medieval times the construction of cathedrals was assigned to architectural workshops. For the organization and the techniques of construction the architects and craftsmen relied on traditional knowledge which was often kept secret by the rules of the guilds and which was only slightly modified with the acquisition of new knowledge. The construction of the largest cathedral of late medieval times, the cathedral of Milan, begun in 1386, raised unexpected problems of mathematics and statics (1). The recently acquired economic and political status of Milan called for the largest building of the period, but the city desired that the design did not follow northern European rules of construction. Within the Roman tradition of Lombardian aesthetics the northern Gothic style was considered too arching and the supporting system of pillars and flying butresses was felt to be confusing. Further, this style was determined by a well-established principle of construction which stipulated that the height of the church be equal to its width. The Milanese workshop, however, decided to work from an equilateral triangle as cross section. They hoped that the less arching elevation of this design would allow for the elimination of the confusing system of support, even if the size of the cathedral exceeded the Gothic constructions.