Short summary of article about: half-timbered architecture and alternatives.
Fachwerk and others
The key words of any modern production are simplicity, speed and usability (ease of use). They fully apply to the construction industry, whose tasks include erecting fast-build buildings based on frame-panel technology. Of course, log houses are still built and brick walls are still laid, and such construction will continue for many years. But the pace of life is increasing, people are in a hurry, striving for wealth, fame and success at work, and do not want to wait a year or two to build their own cottage somewhere in a picturesque spot. They are more likely to choose a quick and inexpensive way to build a house from ready-made standard blocks.
The modern industry is ready to offer two main options: the fachwerk technique and the frame-panel method. Sandwich panels have already been written about many times, so we will refer the reader to articles dedicated to them, and here we will tell a little about the younger fachwerk technology. "Fachwerk", as one might guess from the sound of it, is a German method that was used as far back as the late Middle Ages. Its revival occurred in the second half of the twentieth century, when, thanks to a significant technical breakthrough in American and European civilization, fachwerk houses became an economical, convenient and inexpensive way to build.
In German, "fachwerk" literally means "truss". The basis of fachwerk is a skeleton of diagonal beams crossed at various angles and vertical posts made of glued laminated timber. Thanks to this, fachwerk allows variation between glazed and regular walls. Because the glazing areas are large, the boundary between exterior and interior — between the building's interior and its façade — becomes quite transparent. The gaps between the beams are filled with infill — wood or brick. A building based on fachwerk practically does not settle, since the frame itself is quite rigid.
As a rule, fachwerk is fastened with wooden ties resembling pegs, and only when special strength is required are metal ties used. But one should not think that because of their rigidity and "Germanness" all fachwerk houses look the same and are typical "grey mice." The technology is flexible enough to meet all of a client's individual requirements. And although houses based on fachwerk are still considered relatively expensive, available only to the "chosen few," the field is rapidly developing, and soon such houses will surely be accessible to a wider circle of consumers.