Korsvirkestraditionen i Västra Götalands län Utbredning, konstruktion, karaktär och kontext

Abstract

This bachelor’s thesis examines the tradition of half-timbered buildings in Västra Götaland County as there is a current lack of research on this building category in this region. The lack of knowledge may lead to the loss of potential cultural heritage values if these buildings do not receive attention. Therefore, the study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of its role within the region. The goal is to expand and nuance the existing research on the Swedish building tradition, particularly in Västra Götaland County and the general Swedish half-timbered tradition. The study examines how the half-timbered tradition in Västra Götaland County is manifested and if it is distinguished from the half-timbered tradition in its core region of southern Sweden with focus on character, building types, and context. Additionally, the study aims to identify the potential factors that may have contributed to the construction of half-timbered buildings in the area. Methods used are field research with architectural surveys, literature- and archival studies, as well as unstructured interviews, photo documentation and 3D modeling. 3D models are created to work both as analytical material, and to preserve the buildings in a digital form for future generations. The results reveal numerous common features among the studied objects, such as their rural settings and proximity to estates, the use of brick in the constructions, large timber dimensions, buildings with a combination of other construction techniques, and that many of these buildings have wooden cladding. The main differences compared to the half-timbered tradition in southern Swedish are the high prevalence of wooden cladding and the fact that they are less common in cities. Factors behind this tradition may be a lack of timber, state regulations, and fire safety. The findings indicate that this building tradition is more prevalent in the area than previously assumed, but it is difficult to estimate how this is due to the prevalence of wooden cladding