Compressing 10 hours of Amish barn-raising construction into 3 minutes and 30 seconds of time lapse footage, Ohio resident Scott Miller created this video from 1600 images that were taken from 7:00am until 5:00pm. Yes, most of this barn was built in a single day. From WiseGeek:
“A barn raising is a community event at which all members of a community cooperate to build a barn or another structure, such as a home or church. Barn raisings were an integral part of life in Colonial America; a well organized barn raising would take less than a day to pull of the materials needed together into a recognizable barn, although the structure might require some finishing later. By cooperating on projects like these, communities ensured that they grew and stayed strong…”
“In a traditional barn raising, all members of the community were expected to cooperate, with the understanding that the favor would be returned… Typically the barn raising crew would frame the barn, roof it, and enclose it with exterior walls, leaving the finishing of the interior up to the individual farmer…
“Classically, the people to whom the barn will belong do some preparation work before a barn raising. They order all of the necessary tools and supplies, assuming that the crew will bring personal tools like hammers. They also order in the needed lumber, trimming it to size and drafting basic plans for the barn. The cellar and foundation may be laid first, or left for the morning of the barn raising, and it is not uncommon for a few professionals to be hired to ensure that the process runs smoothly.”
In the archives, more kinds of construction, including:
• How to build an igloo
• A time-lapse of how gers (or yurts) are built
• A concrete-laced canvas tent that goes up in 24 hours
via Colossal.
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