Blog 1:

The Industrial Revolution and its effects on Architecture

The industrial revolution began in England in the 1760's and made huge changes which effected the world and the normal life styles. Such changes where in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and housing. The radical changes in material were very visible and people made use of these new materials in the market. Such materials consisted of cast iron, steel and glass.

This revolution brought up the beginning of the Crystal Palace Exhibition which was a show case for modern industrial technology and design. Many things were introduced for the first time such as machinery, raw materials and fine arts. The idea of having a 'village like' building set to have all of the modern technologies at time, under one roof was of Prince Albert of England who wanted to exhibit fine artiste and new approach for design. 

Crystal Palace 

Enlightenment was the only thought to the human revolution and this brought up the old styles such as Baroque and Rococo to be radical for those times and needed change for the designers and architects themselves. In return they turned the designers into the paths for the Greek and Roman styles.

St Barbara Spanish Baroque Church in Brooklyn NY

Not excluding the older styles which were still very visible in particular countries around the world and still had an impact on designers since they kept taking from the past and placed them into the present times to make them fashionable again. Architects felt free to select elements from the past cultures and fit them in their designs. Some good examples are seen in visible architecture; having Gothic for Protestant Churches, Baroque for Roman Catholic Churches, the early Greek for Banks, Palladian for institutions, early Renaissance for library and Egyptian for Cemeteries.

Architecture changed in response to the culture change and its environment. In the late 19^th century such buildings and multi-story apartments needed a strong lower structure for the whole building to hold firm and steady. Designed to have thick walls on the ground. Since iron and milled steel had come in scene these replaced the wood, brick and concrete along with the stone, all of which were used to build houses and buildings. New materials adopted to the new era and made it easier for users to build and be innovative in their designs.

For such new materials introduced to this scene, the magnificent building which was established and made a huge impact at the time was the ‘Eiffel Tower’, which was built in the 1889. This huge structure stands on four large pedestals made out of iron lattice and it reaches a height of 1000 feet. The Eiffel Tower, in my opinion according to the source I found online is the most iconic building/structure in France and for the industry itself. This introduced new age materials and designs and a new way how to construct and build such buildings in different materials. 

Eiffel Tower

Reference: 

Designhistory.org. (2016). The Origins and Impact of the Industrial Revolution. [online] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Arts_Crafts_pages/IndustrialRevolution.html [Accessed 23 Apr. 2016].

Slideshare.net. (2016). architecture history - Industrial revolution. [online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/omarnene/architecture-history-industrial-revolution?next_slideshow=1 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2016].

Learn.canvas.net. (2016). M9-Architecture and the Industrial Revolution: Art Appreciation. [online] Available at: https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24/pages/m9-architecture-and-the-industrial-revolution [Accessed 23 Apr. 2016].

Lookuparchitecture.com. (2016). Industrial. [online] Available at: http://lookuparchitecture.com/historyindustrial.htm [Accessed 23 Apr. 2016].

the Guardian. (2015). How the Great Exhibition of 1851 still influences science today. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2015/aug/28/how-the-great-exhibition-of-1851-still-influences-science-today [Accessed 23 Apr. 2016].