Information on construction principles, methods and materials used can be found in a wide variety of document types. The numerous job files (contract documents and job correspondence files), that form part of archives such as those of Oliver Hill (1887-1968), Sir Edward Maufe (1883-1974), Erno Goldfinger (1901-1987) and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960), provide a very detailed source. They may include the specification of works, bills of quantities, correspondence with the client and sub-contractors' files, with trade literature and details of fixtures and fittings throughout a building.
The RIBA Archive contains minutes, reports and papers on topics such as the standardisation of building materials, building methods and techniques, building research and colour standards. Other archives also refer to methods of construction ranging from high buildings using reinforced concrete to box frame construction for terraced houses.
The archives of architectural organisations and societies may also prove useful. For example, the Modular Society's archive, 1953-1975, includes minutes and publications that document their campaign for the adoption of standard module units for all component sizing. There are also a number of essays in the archives of the London Architectural Society and the Architectural Society on such topics as methods of constructing foundations, 1846, the construction of fireplaces, 1847, and the stone to be used for the new Houses of Parliament, 1840.
In 1759 Robert Mylne (1723-1811) returned from a tour of the continent to enter and win a competition for a new bridge over the river Thames at the young age of 26. The Mylne archive includes his own volume of the history of the bridge's construction, including orders to contractors, working drawings and progress reports. In 1760 Giovanni Piranesi wrote to Mylne and asked for copies of the design drawings to be sent to him, and in 1765 Mylne notes in his diary that he paid for an engraving by Piranesi, almost certainly the one illustrated above, which provides useful visual information on the principles used in the construction of the arches.
Other examples of documents that illustrate the range of material on this subject area include: Sir William Chambers' secret recipe for stucco, 1790; a report on an experiment with concrete, 1857 by T.H. Lewis; Sir Edward Maufe, 1883-1974 on the architect's use of building materials; a recipe for making mineral green paint (19th century); a volume of documents relating to Sir Christopher Wren's Winchester Palace project, 1683-1689 containing calculations of the costs of Portland Stone for St. Paul's Cathedral; comments on experiments in making mud bricks, 1950s; essays on the history and use of slates, stone, cement, marble, terracotta and timber and trade brochures covering topics from architectural metalwork to cement slab buildings.