I would like to thank everyone who helped pave the way for this book; foremost the publisher, who decided to proceed with the publication during a time of crisis; I thank the public institutions and companies that supported me in the writing process: in particular, the municipal electricity and gas works of the city of Vienna, the Austrian and German standardization committees, the Eternit works Ludwig Hatschek in Vienna, Karl Kubler A. G. in Stuttgart, the Austrian Korting A. G. & Co. Ges. m. b. H. in Vienna, the Waagner-Biro A. G., iron construction and bridge building company in Vienna, and the Wienerberger brick factory and construction company in Vienna. I also owe recognition and heartfelt thanks to the experienced assistants in my department, civil engineers Ing. Wilhelm Riedl and Ing. Otto Gebhart, whose responsibilities included, among other things, the graphic representation of the main part of the illustrations.