HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF ENGINEERING SUPPORT OF BUILDINGS AND THERMAL INSULATION OF ENCLOSING STRUCTURES

The article considers the process of development of the main means of engineering support of buildings - lighting, heating, and ventilation. How over time and the development of science and technology improved ways to create a comfortable environment. The first artificial source of light and heat was the hearth. With the advent of torches and oil lamps, these functions separated and developed in parallel. At the same time, up to the 19th century, both heating (hypocausts, fireplaces, steam and water heating, etc.) and lighting (candles, gas lighting, etc.) were impossible without fire. Ventilation remained natural until the invention of the centrifugal fan in the nineteenth century. In parallel with the issue of heating, the issue of thermal insulation arose. When choosing building materials and structures, their availability in a given region, thermal characteristics and work in a given climate played an important role. The required level of thermal insulation was achieved by increasing the thickness of the wall, the size of the openings and their filling. In the era of the "Enlightenment" (17th - 18th centuries), there is a turning point in the understanding of the world. The "classical" sciences are developing actively and universities and engineering schools are opening. If earlier science and practice existed in parallel, now the inventions of scientists began to be implemented much faster. In the 19th century, electricity appears. This is another important point in the development of engineering. In the 21st century, it has almost complete ly replaced fire in human life (LEDs, LED, infrared and radiant heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems, etc.). A person no longer depends on nature. If in ancient times people sought to subdue it to himself then in the 21st century, the goal is to live in harmony with nature, which preservation and replenishment of the used resources is the search for environmentally friendly solutions without harm to humans and the environment.