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Dan Daniels
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Half-timbering* is a very, very old method for constructing dwellings. It dates back at least to Roman times.
This is a closeup of the joint between beams in an old "half-timbered" home in Alsace, France. Remarkably, as shown here, the beams were joined together using just wooden pegs rather than expensive, scarce iron nails or spikes.

Half-timbered homes built using pegged joints are not very rigid, but this has its advantages. They flex rather than fall down during either earthquakes or settling of house foundations. If as a result, the plastered panels between the beams crack, they are easily repaired. This is the reason why many such old dwellings are still standing and so many have been kept looking fresh and pretty. This is also why many are now charmingly a bit askew.

* "Half-Timbering" is an English term. It is not as old as the German name, "das Fachwerk," or the French name, "le colombage."

Alsace is the region with the most half-timbered dwellings in France. A main reason is that most of them were built when Alsace was under Germanic rule (on and off for centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire; finally ended by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919). So this German "Fachwerk" architectural method spread all over Alsace during the various periods of Germanic rule.
For lots more information on half-timbering, see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_framing#Half-timbering.

Location: Village of Blotzheim, Alsace FR.
In my album: Dan's Patterns: Wood.

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Taken on: September 14, 2015
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Camera: Nikon D90, f/13.0, 1/200 sec, 60mm (=90mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Aperture: f/13.0
Exposure Time: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length: 60mm (35mm equivalent: 90mm)
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Exposure Program: Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: GraphicConverter 11 (11.4.2)
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