How the Industrial Revolution Impacted Production
Zoeanna Upadhyay.
Perhaps the most significant consequence of the industrial revolution was the change in the nature and definition of production. Pre-industrial revolution production was small scale, with little requirement of heavy labor and infrastructure. Artifacts were hand made and individualistic. Buildings of production were cultural and agricultural in nature. After the industrial revolution, production was mechanized and could be produced on an industrial-scale in short amounts of time. With the availability of new materials, new strategies of construction and new attitudes towards capital there was also a shift in the nature of offices. The invention of high speed elevators made vertical travel easier and far more comfortable. The increase in urban population, congestion and increase in value of ground proved to be the perfect conditions for the invention of the skyscraper. And the perfect place for these new inventions and new opportunities for architects-The United States of America.
New, unconventional ideas about architecture were emerging during this time. In Chicago, a city blocked in by lakes and railroads, the only way to go was up. It was a place for bold, young architects to try out their ideas. Louis Sullivan was one such architect who broke away from tradition. He described a ‘modern office building’ as a response to the new social conditions of the time. He believed that buildings should be honest; their design reflecting their use. A person walking down the street should be able to determine the function of the building just by looking at it. He believed ornamentation should never be passively applied, but rather expressed through the material itself. In nature as well as construction, he firmly believed that form follows function. Where function does not change, form does not change. His designs used swirling patterns for ornamentation, terracotta detailing-as in the Wainwright building and neoclassical features.
Another emerging style, was the 'international style'- minimal, modernist and economical; with rectilinear forms, glass or steel facades and open interior spaces. A perfect example of this style beings Van der Rohe's Seagram building in New York.
Mies Van der Rohe was famous for the maxim “less is more” that has since spilled over into all design sensibilities. His approach was modern, a straightforward expression of architecture without excessive ornamentation. Rather he allowed the geometric forms, the design materials and craftsmanship to take spotlight. He believed in minimal ornamentation and absolute perfection in composition; saying that “God is in the details”.
References-
Ching, F. D. K., Jarzombek, M. M., & Prakash, V. (2010). A global history of architecture. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Sullivan, L. H.(1896). The tall office building artistically considered. Lippincott's Magazine
Marcello, F., (2020), ' Production 1,2,3', Learning Material on Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 22nd of April 2021
The art institute of Chicago. (2017, September 28) Louis Sullivan: A new architecture for Chicago [Video] YouTube.
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