We explain what construction is, its history and what types of constructions exist. Also, other uses of the term.
What is construction?
Construction is the very act of building, that is, of make lasting works, especially buildings using the knowledge of engineering, architecture and design. In the same way, buildings manufactured in this way are also known as constructions.
The word construction, coming from the verb to build, is an inheritance from the Latin verb I will buildformed by the prefix with- (“together”, “united”) and the verb struere (“pile up” or “gather”). The word is old because so is the construction trade, which human beings learned as they settled and abandoned the nomadic existence.
The oldest cultures put construction into practice. They used stones and primitive materials to build temples, palaces and homes in their main ceremonial centers, many of which remain, in ruins, today.
In fact, in classical antiquity, great works of engineering were built such as the pyramids of Egypt and Mesoamerica, the Greek temples or the Roman coliseum, to name just a few legendary constructions.
Currently, the construction It is one of the most thriving and important industries on the planet in charge of the construction of homes, public spaces and engineering works. Not only engineers, architects and designers take part, but also workers and day laborers who carry out the physical labor, manually or through specialized machines, to place a construction on its site.
Therefore, depending on the usefulness of the completed work, we can distinguish between:
- Residential construction in charge of making homes and buildings.
- Commercial construction dedicated to building shopping centers, office buildings and stores of all types.
- Tertiary construction in charge of building universities, schools, colleges and other types of buildings for the service sector.
- Industrial construction dedicated to constructing buildings for industrial use, that is, for factories, steel mills, etc.
- Construction of public works in charge of works for general enjoyment, which are part of urban planning, public roads, hydraulic infrastructure, etc.
Other uses of the term construction
The term construction has been borrowed, literally or figuratively, in other areas of human knowledge and other disciplines. For example, in linguistics and grammar A grammatical construction is a syntactic chain of words which can be as simple as a complex lexeme or as complex as an entire sentence.
Similarly, In geometry, construction is the drawing of geometric figures. Thus, for example, the construction of triangles would be the set of steps to draw a desired triangle; while the construction of solids refers to the drawing of figures with volume (three-dimensional), such as a cube. As in engineering, these finished figures can also be called constructions.
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References
- “Construction” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Construir” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- “Construction” in the Wiktionary.
