History of Parallel Construction

In 1887 Gustave Eiffel set out to build a 300 Meter tower to commemorate the French Revolution and in doing so pioneered a building methodology that would revolutionize the construction industry. Eiffel realized that in order to withstand the wind forces and complete the tower on time, a tower of this magnitude would require a level of precision and exactness that could only be achieved in a controlled environment. Each component had to be built to a tolerance of 0.1 MM. The components of the structure were manufactured and assembled at Eiffel's factory in Levallois-Perret at the fringes of Paris. Each of the some 18,000 components were both riveted and bolted together, in the factory, to make five meter long pieces that were then transported to the construction site. There, the bolts were removed by Eiffel's experienced crews [most of whom were veterans of his bridge building activities], being replaced by thermal rivets. Only about a third of the 2.5 million rivets were inserted at the site during the 22 months of tower erection. During construction, there were between 150 and 300 workers at the location. Because the foundation was being built at the same time that the tower was being fabricated, the then world’s tallest building was completed in only two years, two months and five days, a testament to the wisdom of Eiffel’s method and adroitness. Thomas Edison visited the tower and remarked to Eiffel that it was so taken with the innovation that he wrote in the guest book:

"To M Eiffel the Engineer the brave builder of so gigantic and original specimen of modern Engineering from one who has the greatest respect and admiration for all Engineers including the Great Engineer the Bon Dieu, Thomas Edison."

Eiffel's concept was so innovative that he was commissioned to construct the interior structure for the Statue of Liberty which was constructed in Eiffel's factory and shipped to the United States. Edison, so taken by the concept of this parallel construction that he decided introduce it to the residential home industry. Edison prefabricated molds for concrete homes which could be quickly and efficiently cast on site. While Edison's goal of bringing efficient parallel building to the home building industry was visionary, he lacked the technology that would enable him to make his great vision a success.

It has only been in the past twenty years with the advent of the computer age that it has been possible to coordinate the vast resources required to efficiently and effectively build high-quality parallel construction projects. The coordination and planning required is enabled through CAD systems which allow architects, engineers, and contractors to effectively coordinate their efforts. Additionally, the legal infrastructure needed to expand in order to allow state officials to inspect buildings being built off-site in coordination with local municipalities.