Comments for In the Footsteps of Vitruvius

Comment on About me by mbronski

mbronski — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:58:02 +0000

Ciao Juli-

Thanks for your kind note. Glad you enjoyed my presentation yesterday on my Rome project.

Grazie, e tanti auguri,
-Matthew

Comment on About me by greenbridge

greenbridge — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:44:47 +0000

Dear Matt,

I was at your discussion yesterday at BuildBoston and found it riveting. One of the few seminars I’ve excitedly anticipated and that lived up to my expectations! I so much appreciated your humble and obviously caring approach to the Italian structures. Each photo and especially the observed findings were wonderful. I am a great lover of Italy, who when not there, wishes she were. Your presentation offered some satiation for now!

With best wishes, Juli

Comment on Week 24 – Signs of Spring, and the Difficulties of Preserving Modernism by cronacadiunamore

cronacadiunamore — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:12:04 +0000

Really great! Been there. Can’t believe, this is the only link I found on the net. Bravo!

Comment on Week 30 – The Design of Concrete for Durability by the Ancient Romans, Part 2 – Protecting Concrete from the Weather by James Ronald Smith

James Ronald Smith — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:35:13 +0000

Great site.

Comment on About me by mbronski

mbronski — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:03:37 +0000

Ciao Rachel-

I’d be happy to talk to you. Overseas healthcare was (and is) a very tricky issue, and we did a lot of research before settling on a decision. Overall the provider we chose worked out really well for us. You can e-mail me at mbbronski@sgh.com

Auguri,
-Matthew

Comment on About me by Rachel Erin

Rachel Erin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:49:08 +0000

Hello Matthew,
I found your blog when searching for information on taking a family to the AAR. I enjoyed reading about your project and what life is like there.

I am also commenting because we are struggling with the health insurance issue, and I would appreciate any guidance or resources you have from your research – we have found a lot of conflicting information.

Thanks again for taking the time to write about your work.

Comment on Week 30 – The Design of Concrete for Durability by the Ancient Romans, Part 2 – Protecting Concrete from the Weather by mbronski

mbronski — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:36:16 +0000

Thanks for your excellent comment. You make a great point about the durability of these Roman concrete structures in terms of the lack of attractiveness or vulnerability to being carted away and used as building materials for other (later) structures. As you well know as someone interested in archaeology, (but other readers may not), many Roman ruins became basically quarries for building materials for later generations (medieval, renaissance, etc.). Dimensional stone (stone blocks), columns, bronze, etc. was all carted away from many Roman buildings in the many centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire and reused in other buildings. As you point out, it’s just not worth the effort to do that with ugly chunks of concrete. For that reason, at some major ruins, like the Baths of Caracalla, almost all that is left is the concrete and it’s integral brick facing – the stone, tile, etc. has mostly been carted off over the centuries…

Comment on About me by mbronski

mbronski — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:07:47 +0000

Clint-

Thanks for your e-mail. Sorry for my delay in responding. Sounds like you are doing interesting things with concrete for residential construction, as well as noble work building a home in a needy neighborhhod. There’s a very beautiful early 20th century exposed concrete house in the small town just north of Boston where I live that you’d probably find interesting – I should snap a photo next time I drive by and post it or e-mail it to you. As for a suggestion for the name of your company, how about “Opus caementicium”, which was the ancient Romans’ (Latin) word for concrete? If that seems too long and unwieldy, perhaps “Caementa”, which was the ancient Roman (again Latin) tem for the stone or brick rubble aggregate in their ancient concrete?

Comment on About me by Clint Patrick

Clint Patrick — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:27:01 +0000

I am a concrete contractor and will be 40 in a few months. I have been doing this kind of work for 20+ years. I believe constructing with wood is horrible. I am in the process of beginning a new company that will build homes, all structural aspects will be concrete, even the roof. We are building the 1st home in a needy neighborhood and will be providing these to the less fortunate at the same cost as a wood home. Along another line those who have plenty of money should have good homes too. In short i am searching for a company name fitting of what we will produce. Given your knowledge might you be able to assist me with this?

Comment on Week 30 – The Design of Concrete for Durability by the Ancient Romans, Part 2 – Protecting Concrete from the Weather by Homefire

Homefire — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:53:12 +0000

Hi Matthew,

Great read! I follow archaeology and i love good design and engineering. After thinking about your Roman concrete story, groov’n on it for a few days, i thought of another reason why Pantheon et. al is still there: No one could cart it away for building material. You can’t saw it and it goes to pieces if you chisel it. It can’t be drilled and split easily; if you’ve ever tried to drill a brick, quartzite or flint, you know that their hardness rivals even a tungsten carbide bit. And, the shit is plain ugly if you could get it apart.

Thanks for the insight. I long wondered how Roman structures could have lasted that long.