Industrial architecture

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Volkswagen cogeneration plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, built in 1938 as part of the main Volkswagen factory VW Werk Altes Heizkraftwerk.jpg
Volkswagen cogeneration plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, built in 1938 as part of the main Volkswagen factory
Walter Baker & Company located in Dorchester, Massachusetts along the Neponset River. The company was founded in 1780 and is one of the first companies in the United States to produce chocolate. Walter Baker Company Image.jpg
Walter Baker & Company located in Dorchester, Massachusetts along the Neponset River. The company was founded in 1780 and is one of the first companies in the United States to produce chocolate.

Industrial architecture is the design and construction of buildings facilitating the needs of the industrial sector. The architecture revolving around the industrial world uses a variety of building designs and styles to consider the safe flow, distribution and production of goods and labor. [1] Such buildings rose in importance with the Industrial Revolution, starting in Britain, and were some of the pioneering structures of modern architecture. [2] Many of the architectural buildings revolving around the industry allowed for processing, manufacturing, distribution, and the storage of goods and resources. Architects also have to consider the safety measurements and workflow to ensure the smooth flow within the work environment located in the building. [3]

Contents

Industrial architect

Industrial architects specialize in designing and planning of industrial buildings or infrastructure. They integrate different processes, machinery, equipment and industrial building code requirements into functional industrial buildings. They follow quality standards to ensure that industrial building are safely built for production or human use. Industrial architects are responsible for the design and planning of the following: markets, warehouses, factories, processing plants, power plants, commercial facilities, etc. [4]

History

Industrial Revolution

British industrial architecture: Murrays' Mills (for cotton) on the Rochdale Canal, Manchester, begun in 1797, and then forming the longest mill range in the world Rochdale Canal 5268.JPG
British industrial architecture: Murrays' Mills (for cotton) on the Rochdale Canal, Manchester, begun in 1797, and then forming the longest mill range in the world

Britain played an important role in the Industrial Revolution, which stimulated the expansion of trade and distribution of goods amongst Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. The technological advances from Europe were later spread to the United States in the late 1700s. Samuel Slater fled to the United States and later opened a textile mill in Rhode Island; shortly after that the cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. [5]

One of the very first industrial buildings were built in Britain in the 1700s during the First Industrial Revolution, which later inspired other industrial architecture to arise throughout the world. The First Industrial Revolution lasted from mid-1700s to the mid-1800s and then later the Second Industrial Revolution came about which mainly focused on the use of new materials and production of goods. [3]

1700s

One of the earliest industrial buildings were relativity built at a domestic scale, for instance workshops for local craftsmen. [2]

1700s–1850s

This time period was the transformation of the British economy. The population in England had increased to 16 million people around 1841, with the majority moving to Northern Europe. Factories had been built and production in the factories had become dominant; production was not on a large-scale. [2]

Post-Industrial Revolution

The Moulin Saulnier, originally a watermill, now part of the Menier chocolate factory in Noisiel, France. Built in 1872, it was the first building in the world with a visible metallic structure. Moulin Saulnier.jpg
The Moulin Saulnier, originally a watermill, now part of the Menier chocolate factory in Noisiel, France. Built in 1872, it was the first building in the world with a visible metallic structure.

The birth of all industrial architecture stemmed from England and the continuing expansions of the architecture was a product of the Industrial Revolution. [6] The usage and production of iron and steel became more prominent since they were used as the foundation for the industrial buildings. Steel is a durable material and was also used in other parts of the industry such as infrastructure, but it was difficult to make because it required high temperature to melt the metal. [6]

1850s–1914

Britain saw a increase in production during this time period. Railways played an important role in transportation and distribution of resources throughout Europe and the United States. Industrial buildings were built at a larger scale to accommodate large machinery used in food production such as flour mills and breweries. With the implementation of the Planning Act of 1909, the industry had a significant impact on the siting and layout of industrial facilities as it continued to progress throughout the years. [2]

1914 to present

As architecture became modernized throughout the years, the more traditional industrial sites throughout Europe and the United States continued to decrease. For instance, coal is a raw material that was heavily used throughout the industrial revolution, so there were coal mines. Buildings continued to increase in size to accommodate mass production. The overall design of modern-day buildings is sleeker and more spacious. [2]

Some key elements to industrial buildings

Types of Industrial Buildings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrial Revolution</span> 1760–1840 period of rapid technological change

The Industrial Revolution, also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was a period of global transition of the human economy towards more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes that succeeded the Agricultural Revolution, starting from Great Britain and spreading to continental Europe and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines; new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes; the increasing use of water power and steam power; the development of machine tools; and the rise of the mechanized factory system. Output greatly increased, and the result was an unprecedented rise in population and the rate of population growth. The textile industry was the first to use modern production methods, and textiles became the dominant industry in terms of employment, value of output, and capital invested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts and Crafts movement</span> Design movement (c. 1880–1920)

The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Factory</span> Facility where goods are industrially made, or processed

A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. They are a critical part of modern economic production, with the majority of the world's goods being created or processed within factories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic Revival architecture</span> Architectural movement

Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century, mostly in England. Increasingly serious and learned admirers sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, intending to complement or even supersede the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. Gothic Revival draws upon features of medieval examples, including decorative patterns, finials, lancet windows, and hood moulds. By the middle of the 19th century, Gothic Revival had become the pre-eminent architectural style in the Western world, only to begin to fall out of fashion in the 1880s and early 1890s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian architecture</span> Series of architectural revival styles

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles (see Historicism). The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warehouse</span> Building for storing goods and giving services

A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, towns, or villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living room</span> Room in a residential house for relaxing and socializing

In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room, lounge, sitting room, or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment. Such a room is sometimes called a front room when it is near the main entrance at the front of the house. In large, formal homes, a sitting room is often a small private living area adjacent to a bedroom, such as the Queens' Sitting Room and the Lincoln Sitting Room of the White House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of England</span> Architectural styles of modern England and the historic Kingdom of England

The architecture of England is the architecture of modern England and in the historic Kingdom of England. It often includes buildings created under English influence or by English architects in other parts of the world, particularly in the English and later British colonies and Empire, which developed into the Commonwealth of Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam style</span> Neoclassical style of interior design and architecture

The Adam style is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and James (1732–1794) were the most widely known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Birmingham</span> Overview of the architecture of Birmingham

Although Birmingham in England has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years, today's city is overwhelmingly a product of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, with little surviving from its early history. As it has expanded, it has acquired a variety of architectural styles. Buildings of most modern architectural styles in the United Kingdom are located in Birmingham. In recent years, Birmingham was one of the first cities to exhibit the blobitecture style with the construction of the Selfridges store at the Bullring Shopping Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tudor Revival architecture</span> Architectural style

Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in reality it usually took the style of English vernacular architecture of the Middle Ages that had survived into the Tudor period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Canada</span> Overview of the architecture in Canada

The architecture of Canada is, with the exception of that of Canadian First Nations, closely linked to the techniques and styles developed in Canada, Europe and the United States. However, design has long needed to be adapted to Canada's climate and geography, and at times has also reflected the uniqueness of Canadian culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-tech architecture</span> Architectural style that emerged in the 1970s

High-tech architecture, also known as structural expressionism, is a type of late modernist architecture that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements of high tech industry and technology into building design. High-tech architecture grew from the modernist style, utilizing new advances in technology and building materials. It emphasizes transparency in design and construction, seeking to communicate the underlying structure and function of a building throughout its interior and exterior. High-tech architecture makes extensive use of aluminium, steel, glass, and to a lesser extent concrete, as these materials were becoming more advanced and available in a wider variety of forms at the time the style was developing – generally, advancements in a trend towards lightness of weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Craftsman</span> Architectural style

American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its immediate ancestors in American architecture are the Shingle style, which began the move away from Victorian ornamentation toward simpler forms, and the Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Australia</span> Overview of the architecture in Australia

Architecture of Australia has generally been consistent with architectural trends in the wider Western world, with some special adaptations to compensate for distinctive Australian climatic and cultural factors. Indigenous Australians produced a wide range of structures and places prior to colonisation. Contemporary Indigenous practitioners are active in a broad range of built environment fields. During Australia's early Western history, it was a collection of British colonies in which architectural styles were strongly influenced by British designs. However, the unique climate of Australia necessitated adaptations, and 20th-century trends reflected the increasing influence of American urban designs and a diversification of the cultural tastes and requirements of an increasingly multicultural Australian society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cast-iron architecture</span> Buildings that make extensive use of cast iron in their structures

Cast-iron architecture is the use of cast iron in buildings and objects, ranging from bridges and markets to warehouses, balconies and fences. Refinements developed during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century made cast iron relatively cheap and suitable for a range of uses, and by the mid-19th century it was common as a structural material, and particularly for elaborately patterned architectural elements such as fences and balconies, until it fell out of fashion after 1900 as a decorative material, and was replaced by modern steel and concrete for structural purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wilkinson (architect)</span> British architect (1945–2021)

Christopher John Wilkinson was a British architect and co-founder of the architecture firm WilkinsonEyre. He was known for his techno-centric designs and execution of projects ranging from office spaces, factory floors, skyscrapers to botanical gardens. Some of his projects included the Magna Science Adventure Centre, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Guangzhou International Finance Center, and the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the culture in the United Kingdom

The architecture of the United Kingdom, or British architecture, consists of a combination of architectural styles, dating as far back to Roman architecture, to the present day 21st century contemporary. England has seen the most influential developments, though Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have each fostered unique styles and played leading roles in the international history of architecture. Although there are prehistoric and classical structures in the United Kingdom, British architectural history effectively begins with the first Anglo-Saxon Christian churches, built soon after Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Great Britain in 597. Norman architecture was built on a vast scale throughout Great Britain and Ireland from the 11th century onwards in the form of castles and churches to help impose Norman authority upon their dominions. English Gothic architecture, which flourished between 1180 until around 1520, was initially imported from France, but quickly developed its own unique qualities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bata shoe factory</span> Factory in East Tilbury, England

The Bata shoe factory in East Tilbury is what remains of an industrial estate in Essex, England, which produced shoes for over 70 years. Founded in 1932 by Tomáš Baťa, the factory was "one of the most important planned landscapes in the East of England" in the 20th century. The factory closed in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British industrial architecture</span> Architecture of industries in UK

British industrial architecture has been created, mainly from 1700 onwards, to house industries of many kinds in Britain, home of the Industrial Revolution in this period. Both the new industrial technologies and industrial architecture soon spread worldwide. As such, the architecture of surviving industrial buildings records part of the history of the modern world.

References

  1. Hohendal, Kristin (February 7, 2022). "Learn all about Industrial Architecture". The Spruce. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Historic England (April 2011). "Historical Summary". Industrial Buildings: Listing Selection Guide. Historic England. pp. 2–6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hohendal, Kristin (February 7, 2022). "Learn all about Industrial Architecture". The Spruce. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. "An Analysis: What do Industrial Architects do?". Bright Hub. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  5. Yuko, Elizabeth (November 18, 2021). "How the Industrial Revolution fueled the Growth of Cities?". History. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Victorian Industrial Structure". Victorian Era. May 7, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

    Further reading