WELCOME TO THE WORD WALL
As methods and technologies of production were industrialized and developed we began to gain access to new readily available materials. Things that were once seen as luxuries or simply impossible to produce were now easily mass produced. Metalworking and fabrication became easier, cheaper, and quicker and that was only one of the many developments. There was a great impact on the visual world around us as a result. There were not only new ways to design but new reasons as well. Urbanization would play an important role in the new world of architecture. Allowing for the future architects to develop and build buildings and structures once seen as unimaginable and give them even more reason to. Along with the simple fact of there being an engineering advancement in architecture and development there was just as great an impact on the aesthetic world of design. Many new questions and problems were presented to architects and designers, they had new problems to solve and new ways to do so. There would also be the question of how these designers would develop these structures and design pieces in an interesting and new way. New technology meant a larger gap between the classes. In a lot of ways these new concepts of design and fabrication would lead to an even larger divide between the working class and the upper class. These design concepts would illustrate the separation further as they began to become more and more ornate.
New technology also meant new possibilities in terms of design and physical architecture. One big development that would impact both the physical and aesthetic of this new age would be the development of steel frame buildings. This would open up a new world for designers as the advent of these frames allowed for a new freedom. As a result of the development of steel frames there would be a lot more freedom in design, whether it was vertical or horizontal; these allowed for the designer to move in new directions with their design. Skyscrapers were in part born from the advent of these new steel frames. The strength of the steel allowed for buildings to be built taller and larger than ever before. It also brought into the picture a new issue, designing larger and taller buildings to be visually interesting and not just large towering obelisks.
Prefabrication was an important part of this new world. Similar to how steel frames opened new doors, this would allow buildings to be built larger and faster. It meant that pieces of the buildings could be produced en masse while off site and then later constructed into the shapes desired. It meant it would not only be quicker to produce complicated and large structures but also easier as it didn’t all have to be done on site. A great example of prefabricated architecture is the Crystal Palace designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. The reason this is such a great example of not only prefabricated architecture but the general impact of industrial technologies on design is because it expresses so many unique aspects. The palace was constructed quickly, cheaply, on a large scale, using elements previously either unseen or very rarely seen. It was a massive piece of glass and cast iron that was not only stunning but also featured a lot of the new fabrication methods introduced in recent times. Had it been made in decades prior it probably would have been deemed near impossible. The fact that such a large structure could be constructed of so much glass was groundbreaking.
The crystal palace wasn’t just a great example of how architecture was impacted by these technologies but it shows how a lot of the aesthetics were also directly impacted. Previously buildings would have been large encased structures with very few glass elements. But now there stood a new form of design, open and majestic feats of engineering. Giant buildings glimmering in the sun. The palace set an example for future architecture and demonstrated the new ideas of the future. With a focus put not only on its looks but the physicality and methodology of designing and fabricating something of its size. Another great example of larger taller design would be the Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Building designed by Louis Sullivan. This building was not only large but was clearly designed with reason in mind. Rather than simply applying the same design philosophy to the entire building it seemed to be separated.. The first two floors would feature ironwork very reminiscent of the European Art Nouveau movement, while the other 10 floors would feature white tile. There was a stark contrast between this very simplistic grid-like building that featured almost no ornamentation, whereas the lower floors were decorated with nearly as much ornamentation as possible. I find this stark contrast design really interesting as it seems to in a lot of ways directly show both the past and the future of design in one place. The building clashes this very ornamental style of Art Nouveau with this new plain and modern look. The upper floors would really give way to the 20th century designers' desire to create building and design with less focus on ornamentation and more time put into the rational design of plainess.
As we moved into the 20th century there seemed to be a larger focus put onto less ornamentation and more simple necessary forms. As the 18th and 19th century had been overtaken by resurgences of the gothic style there was just as much effort put into the art nouveau and as a result this period of time was greatly ornamental and put a grande focus on the ornament.. But following that there was a deeper focus put on refined and simpler design. Laying the way for modern architecture.
Frank Lloyd Wright created the Guggenheim Museum, a very important piece of Modern architecture. This building not only highlighted Wright’s own ways of design and architecture but demonstrated a lot of the new ideals of Modern design. The building was extremely soft and round, featuring a large rotunda. This rotunda would expand many floors into the vertical and would allow for a unique method of traversal within the building itself. It put a major focus on a kind of central form. The building massively differentiated from the normal look of buildings. Wright was not the only major impact on the form and design of modern architecture. Another important figure would be Buckminster Fuller.
Buckminster Fuller would use a lot of the industrial technologies developed during the 18th and 19th century in a different way to paint a new image for modern architecture. He would use architectural design as a way to create prefabricated and mass produced homes. The Dymaxion house was this creation. This idea directly countered the unique and organic approach that Frank Lloyd Wright would use but Fuller’s design philosophy would be just as impactful. Instead of creating unique and simple forms that would utilize these modern ideas Fuller would utilize these same modern ideas to create futuristic pieces of mass produced architecture. Though the two would greatly differ in a lot of ways I think it is interesting to point out how both seem to still use a lot of similar forms in their work. The Dymaxion house similarly hosts a large round body akin to that of the Guggenheim.
As industrial technologies advanced, architecture began to change drastically. Not only were there new economical and social strains on architectural needs but there were new avenues for unique and interesting design. The world of design began to change drastically following industrialization. Even though a lot of design would still take inspiration from past movements it slowly began to shift in a new unique and modern set of philosophies. Giving designers a new world of freedom with new problems to solve not only changed the mechanics of our world but the very aesthetic of it as well.
