Several novel structural solutions have distinguished the history of Western architecture from 1850 to 1950. This is the period of architecture and there are several periods associated with it, including the first fifty years from 1850 to 1900(iron-frame age), the second fifty years from 1900 to 1950 (steel-frame age and reinforced concrete), art nouveau, and art deco. The modern aesthetic is a distinguishing aspect of modernist architecture (also known as the 'modern look'). The materials appearing in this age are iron, glass, steel, and reinforced concrete, therefore the focus of this essay will be a detailed analysis of the influence of these materials on architecture during the period 1850-1950.
The stream of architectural growth in the contemporary time has, in a sense, flowed under the surface in the aesthetically unrecognized employment of iron, steel, glass, and reinforced concrete. The effects of these great materials are immense, but with the inclusion of more and more engineering in the build process, architecture lost one of its most potent advancement features. Architectural styles are the result of materials, therefore the rising availability of new construction materials encouraged the creation of equally innovative building techniques, durability, quality, and design of buildings throughout the Industrial Revolution.
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World history was changed by the Industrial Revolution because it implemented the usage of materials and shapes previously unknown to mankind. By this time, hand-crafted products had gone out of style, and mass production was introduced using steam-powered machinery. Steel was one of the most revolutionary products that became possible for mass production. The influential artist of the 13th century Roger Bacon maintains in chapter one of his 'Compendium Philosophies' that the young generation is the oldest one and that recent ones should outperform their forefathers in intelligence since they receive all of the past's labors. Furthermore, he asserts in his 'Opus Tertium' that 'experimental science is the queen of the sciences and the objective of all speculation' (Fletcher, 53) and this is true not only for the people but for the materials as well, which enter different periods despite the mass production by machinery instead of hand-craft. With the expanding usage of those materials, new structures appeared modern for this time, beautiful, elegant, stylish, simple, lavish, and forms that society easily accepted and adapted to. Such representation can be found in the first fifty years (1850), such as the skyscrapers and in particular the Chicago School, famous around the world for Chicago's architecture. The steel-frame construction, advocated by this school, was the first technology to be used on commercial buildings. The architects in this school produced an aesthetic that evolved with advances in European Modernism. Steel-frame construction with masonry cladding (typically terracotta) is a distinguishing characteristic of the Chicago School. The metal frame walls of the building have been used as a screen or curtain that protects the building's interior from the outside elements. The building's walls are therefore merely an architectural device. The windows were designed in a manner that facilitates incoming light as well as ventilation throughout the building. Typically, these windows are placed in regular grid patterns throughout the building and they are large while remaining modestly embellished from the outside. The general shape of the construction of the building is similar to that of a classic column, which means there are no typical Greek columns. Its lowest levels serve as the base podium, and its facade is unique from the rest of the structures. Its middle levels serve as the shaft of the column. Finally, the upper levels serve as the capital, with a cornice crowning the building and showing some basic embellishments. Sometimes neoclassical characteristics are occasionally employed in Chicago School skyscrapers. Steel-frame structures are used in the Chicago School skyscrapers, allowing for greater height. To avert disasters like the 1871 Chicago Fire, the structural steel was designed to be fire-resistant. The structures are built of masonry, for example, Terra Cotta, leaving little room for ornamentation and permitting large windows to be placed on the surface. The Chicago School has proven with time that it was built to last and the innovations it brought can still be observed even in modern buildings.
A structure so different and unique and also based on modern-for-the-time materials is the Eiffel Tower in the capital city of France - Paris. Monsieur Eiffel Le Temps' newly constructed 'Eiffel Tower' was initially protested against in 1887. It took two years, two months and five days to be built from scratch (26.01.1887 - 31.03.1889). The Eiffel Tower represents the city of Paris both as a landmark, recognized throughout the world, and as a monument that exhibits exemplary properties and functions of materials. There are two types of material in The Tower: pure iron and puddled iron, which have been processed specifically to be more durable while remaining less rigid than steel. An arched frame must be constructed from cast iron. Because cast iron is brittle, the alternative, post-and-beam construction, is not possible. This is why this material allows the structure of the Eiffel Tower - the curvature of the uprights, monumental arches to link the columns, and the first floor a bulb-shaped design for the top. The Eiffel Tower is not the only demonstration of the structure and curves of the iron frame - masonry building supported by iron frame in, iron-and-glass Greenhouses in Belgium, iron-and-glass train station in and the Iron Bridge in (nevertheless it was built in the 18th century). An interesting and useful property of the iron frame is its resistance and durability. The Eiffel Tower survived during the Second Great War despite that the damage was only on the top of the tower and the only remaining parts of the tower were the legs of 'The Iron Lady'. The materials that came to use in this period have shown extreme resistance to the test of time and many of them can still be seen (and used) today.
A product that was created for the Great Exhibition and an example of the structure of iron is the Crystal Palace, which was built in 1859 and destroyed in 1936 by fire. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, the materials that make up the Crystal Palace are not only cast iron, there is also a plate glass structure. This combination of cast iron and plate glass structure is not only unique and amazing, but it is very stylish, simple, and beautiful. In 1832, Chance Brothers introduced sheet glass manufacturing to Britain. This allowed them to produce large sheets of cheap, yet durable glass. Their use in the Crystal Palace allowed it to have the largest area of glass of any building prior. Visitors marveled at the quality and the structure of the palace (the walls and the ceilings), which provides 100% natural light, without any interior lighting. This time the building was well-accepted by the people, unlike the Eiffel Tower. In the Crystal Palace, the whole structure's size and shape are determined by the glass panels' dimensions. It was designed to fit the limitations of the manufacturer, again proof that with the new materials comes the new structure of the building, and step by step people changed the public's perspective and opinion about the modern architecture and its innovative quirks and features.
Structures are made up of designs that are the souls of their creations. A design is an idea that is organized and planned to create an object. Therefore, design is part of the structure of a building, and moving through into the new period proves that materials affect not only a building's structural integrity but also the design features (interior-exterior) as a whole. The aesthetic movement is called Art Nouveau. This period is between the 19th and 20th centuries and is mostly adopted in Europe and the U.S. The inspiration through the period came from the world of nature and this gave rise to unique styles of architecture, interior design, art, furniture, and glasswork. The unique style of the architecture is best characterized by this period in the sculptures, the organic shapes, arches, stunning ornaments, and curving lines. These decorative elements from the interior and exterior of the building are made out of glass and iron. Such examples are mosaic work, stained, and other decorations. The architects who are the symbols and groundbreakers of this aesthetic movement are Antoni Gauda, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Hector Guimard (the man behind curved glass), Charles Rennie Mackintosh (famous with Glasgow School of Art), Victor Horta, and many others.
One of the most well-renowned buildings in Europe is the unfinished masterpiece of Antonio Gauda which is 'La Sagrada Familia', also known as the Holy Family Church in Barcelona, Spain. The interesting part of the structure of this building is the columns, which do not have the typical straight structure, meaning they are not perpendicular to the floor and the ceiling. These columns form the whole structure of the enormous church. The undulating lines of the stone facade make the basilica appear to be melting in the light (another interpretation of nature), while the towers are covered with vividly colored mosaics that resemble fruit bowls. The apse has seven chapels and elegant staircases on both sides that lead to the stands on the outer middle ships and part of the walls there were designed by stained glass windows. Antonio Gaudi used this type of interior to provide the goddess colorful effect from the sunlight in the interior.
The Art Nouveau period was influenced by another designer and architect - Hector Guimar and his entrances to the underground in the capital city of France, Paris. He is famous for the curves from glass and canopies from iron. An example of his work is his second remaining underground station entrance, with a glass roof - Porte Dauphine. This entrance looks like a dragonfly, because of the curving glass roof and the light the gentle iron, and the structure of the metal is colored. This is a perfect interpretation of a botanical subject. It looks like a plant coming from the ground, which is ready to branch out. The design of both the church and the entrances to the subway depends not only on the natural ornaments but also on the materials from which they are used. Without these materials, both structure and design could not have existed.
Moving forward in time follows the second half of the period, which is between around 1900 and 195060. Then follows the modern aesthetic period, which is famous for the simplest unadorned geometric forms and the fact that needless materials are removed (including traditional decoration). This transition means that the architectural language transfers to mainstream architecture is finally accepted by society in the world. This achievement is thanks to the German design school, Bauhaus, which operated during the interwar period. The architecture, the industrial design, the visual art, the graphic design, and the interior design were all part of the Bauhaus construction process. The director and the founder of the school, Walter Gropius designed the second campus of Bauhaus. The walls are ordinary, in the colors white and grey, and glass, which plays the role of a screen on the wall, sometimes of two floors (different height levels). The balconies of the building show new and impressive construction from sheet metal structures. They symbolize cantilevering, which adds to the illusion of architectural weightlessness. A huge part of the Bauhaus architecture is reinforced concrete, which permits the development of a new structure and form of the building. This is mainly observed in the thin shell and provides ease to the building. A reinforced concrete frame is the main characteristic of the school.
In the period between 1850 and 1950 architecture underwent a fundamental transformation. With the advent of the new generation, new ideas, new knowledge, discoveries and new structures of the building appeared. Materials played a great role in defining the unique styling of the era. Despite the initial rejection of style, design, and thinking by people around the world, it is accepted, recognizable, in parts preserved, and even still used to this day.
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