Tom Wolfe wrote, “In the boom days of Beaux-Arts construction, Caldwell had employed several million bronze workers, stonemasons, and set designers. The company went out of business, as did several similar firms.” Coexistence was not an option for all of these architects. It was also noted that artists using conventional tools like a saw blade loitered around Fifth Avenue buildings, hoping to get any job of any kind. Modernist architects had taken away their livelihoods and consequently erased the valuable skills of previous generations.
Customer Expectation in Traditional Construction
A builder who promises his clients old-fashioned design and craftsmanship is not exactly fair. Although there are still finishing companies that do a passable French polish or gold leaf for a reasonable price, this type of simulated work has lost its value in today’s world. We recommend shellac polishing, gilding, or perhaps inlaying with semi-precious stones on individual pieces such as art objects or furniture, but not on large-scale built-in elements of a home. European design and fabrication techniques allow us to simulate marble floors up to 5’x10′ that look and feel like marble. Traditional carving is supported by computerized processes, removing repetitive work from daily routine.
Traditional Construction Complemented by Modern Technology
Top earners not only have the unique skills to do the work assigned to them, but most of them are also good with numbers. They can deliver fast calculations in their minds when required. For example, the responsibility of calculating the number of steps on a staircase so that the dimensions are the same height when the floor is finished requires only simple arithmetic. Maintaining the same accuracy when the staircase must have an elliptical curve is a not so simple task. There is a space between the solid stone exterior cladding and the interior structures. Any water or moisture that seeps in behind the stone should be able to escape further down. In high-rise buildings, the external layer is four to ten inches dense, but sometimes it appears to be only 60 inches.
A Treasure Trove of Old Craftsmanship
In a small town an hour’s drive southwest of Toronto, a European-style manufacturer has been working for half a century. Their products are shipped to the United States, where they are used in large historic restoration projects. At right is a photo of this 12′ tall French door with narrow mahogany mullions. Few window manufacturers in North America make French doors this tall and thin. Proper window placement is critical to the design of French plan architecture. This can be achieved by cutting two pieces of fabric four inches thick and joining them together with stone glue, which is more durable than stone. Stainless steel hooks are used as connecting pegs; the outer covering is called a veneer.
The Future of Traditional Construction
Canada is a small market for these skills, with only 36 million people in an area of 3.85 million square miles. If they don’t promote their skills and products south of the border, the domestic market can’t keep them as busy as they’d like. Toronto’s serene, cosmopolitan atmosphere and Canada’s comprehensive health care system are reasons they would like to stay. For people lucky enough to work collectively, Toronto is a treasure trove of the present. Now that McMansions and contemporary stacked-box architecture make up the vast majority of custom home buildings, the market has slowed because of its capabilities.…