ABSTRACT
The reformed churches erected in Switzerland in the late eighteenth century posed a new challenge to the master builders of that time. The construction of openly designed halls allowed the participants to have an unobstructed sight of the sermon, but also required innovative roof constructions. The Appenzell-based Grubenmann family of carpenters is known beyond Switzerland for their timber bridge and roof constructions. However, this focus on the Grubenmanns has tended to eclipse other highlights of Swiss carpentry, notably some less accessible, but remarkable wide-span church roofs, and the achievements of other families with equal skill. At the same time, Johann Jakob Haltiner and his son Hans Jakob constructed a large number of church buildings in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. This contribution presents two of their objects, which were examined particularly with the focus on new techniques used to solve the difficulty of the large span.
