About CHSA

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY FIELD OF CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

Researchers of construction history are fascinated by the intrinsic human desire to create and to build. Construction History encompasses the investigation of all historic aspects of the built environment including buildings, structures, builders, architects, engineers, contracting, and construction materials and methods. It addresses diverse and previously unexamined methods, techniques, practices and motivations, whether small-scale or broadly-defined; local or international in scope.

WHAT CONSTRUCTION HISTORIANS ACCOMPLISH

Examine how various buildings, civil projects and industrial works were built and why.
Determine what materials and techniques were employed to achieve the resulting projects.
Identify initiatives, organizations, economics and legal systems needed to fulfill past endeavors.
Date projects based on origins and accretions over time.
Understand the histories of materials, products, equipment and systems comprising the constructed works.
Explore the building sciences, technologies and cultures affecting the built environment over time.
Interpret the meanings of built works to assist contemporary planners, designers, craftspeople and future historians.
Provide intensive research into under-explored areas that can lead to increased knowledge, enhanced understanding of heritage and better preservation practice.

MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY

Membership is open to a broad range of professionals in construction-related disciplines, including those involved in the planning, development, design, construction, preservation and operation of buildings and engineering infrastructure. Through local, national and international meetings, through print and electronic publications, and through advocacy efforts for expanded scholarly insights into natural and human-created environments, CHSA members are engaged in the emerging field.

HISTORY OF CHSA

The Construction History Society of America (CHSA) was organized in May 2007 as a branch of the Construction History Society (CHS), based in the United Kingdom. Since its inception, CHSA has hosted six biennial meetings: in Atlanta (2008), Philadelphia (2010), Boston (2012), Minneapolis (2014), Austin, Texas (2016) and a 10th anniversary meeting in Seattle in 2017. Our most recent 2018 biennial meeting was held in May 2018 at the University of Maryland / College Park.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Members of the CHSA receive a quarterly newsletter focusing on American construction history, as well as full benefits of membership of the Construction History Society, based in the United Kingdom including Construction History, a scholarly journal and the leading international publication in its field and links to scholars in the field worldwide. CHSA members also received discounted registration to CHSA-sponsored events.