PIADS

History of
Architecture
Industrial
Revolution
and Beyond
Prof. Anuya Killedar Moharil
Industrial
Revolution

1
1.1. Causes of Industrial
Revolution
1.2. Bridges
1.3. Exhibitions
1.4. Railway Stations
Section 1

Causes of Industrial I NTERACTIVE 1.1 Industrial Revolution

Revolution

Key Words

1. Great Britain

2. Agricultural Revolution

3. Population explosion
The causes of Industrial Revolution: an overview
4. Age of Reason, Industrial Enlightenment

5. Coal ,Cotton, Iron, Steel Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain in 1750. But what
6. Factories
caused it? Why Britain? What factors affected it? and what were
7. Free Market Capitalism, Profit driven society its effects on architecture?

8. Modes of transportation
9. Absence of War
10. Extensive Colonial Empire
In this chapter we endeavor to answer all these question. For
ease of understanding the causes are chronologically stated as
Industrial Revolution is the perfect example of ‘Domino Effect’,
with one thing leading to another.
‘Necessity is the mother of Invention’ and Industrial revolutions is
all about satisfying the need and meeting the demands of the
ever increasing and ever demanding population of Great Britain
and its Colonies spread all over the world.
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION:
1. Enclosure movement gave the right to landowners to fence
their land.
2. Many peasants who used this land for grazing were now
forced to move out of the country and towards bigger cities in
search of employment.
3. New farming techniques and technology like seed drills, thresh-
ing machines and crop rotation increased productivity.
4. This led to healthier population and rapid increase in the popu-
lation as well.
Increase in population led to increase in demand for goods
but at the same time drove down the value of labour.
AGE OF REASON
1. The Scientific Revolution encouraged scholars and craftsmen
to use there technical and mechanical know-hows to solve the
problems arising from the increased demands.
2. At this time Britain was comparatively free from churches influ-
ence thus providing better breeding ground for new ideas and
innovations.
NATURAL RESOURCES:
1. Britain was rich in natural mineral resources especially iron and
coal.
2. Easily navigable rivers like Thames and Mersey made transpor-
tation efficient.
3. Also good sea ports and established trade routes made trad-
ing more profitable and faster.
4. Iron and coal together led to many new inventions
5. Initial Wrought Iron and Cast Iron were used but then with Steel
the potential of the material and its uses grew exponentially.
Raw Cotton from the colonies was sourced and brought to
Britain very cheaply, while the spun cotton and cloth was
exported back to the same colonies with a large profit mar-
gin.
FACTORIES:
1. With the growth in demand and free market capitalism came
the need for larger outlays and faster production methods.
2. Demand for cotton in the colonies led to invention of faster ma- 2. The Government was more sympathetic towards scientific en-
chineries, from flying shuttles to spinning jennies to water deavors and even encouraged investors to fund such endeav-
frames, spinning mules and finally to power loom and Cotton ors.
Gin.
3. A total absence of War meant that more attention was given to
Larger outlays for the machineries meant larger unhin- making money and profit.
dered spaces in terms of factories that lead to large span
4. The free market Capitalism meant no government interference
structures and thus the use of new materials like iron and
in which successful businesses thrived and unsuccessful ones
steel to do so efficiently.
went out of business.
TRANSPORTATION:
5. The dependent colonies of the Empire provided a ready market
1. Relying solely on the untamed river and sea for transportation for the finished goods and also served as rich source for the
took too long so better roads and faster transportation means raw material required.
were needed.

2. This gave birth to invention of locomotives run on steam en- M OVIE 1.1 North and M OVIE 1.2 North and
gines. South Episode 1 South Episode 2
3. Canals and steamboats opened up better access to remote
parts of the country

With the advent of railroads came the need for Bridges to

span the rivers and railway stations.

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SCENARIO:

BBC Mini Series based in Indus- BBC Mini Series based in Indus-
1. This was the period of political stability in Britain. trial town of Milton trial town of Milton
Section 2

Bridges Coalbrookdale
Abraham Darby I found a more efficient way to smelt iron by us-
ing coke rather that charcoal. He established his iron industry in
Coalbrookdale where iron ore was in abundance. This small town
in Shropshire on the river Severn became the epicenter of Indus-
trial Revolution.

Key Words

1. Abraham Darby I, II, III

2. Smelting of Iron

3. Coalbrookdale

4. Cast Iron
I MAGE 1.1 Coke- Smelting I MAGE 1.2 Abra-
5. Thomas Farnolls Pritchard Furnace by Abraham Darby ham Darby I

Abraham Darby II, his son and Abraham Darby III, his grandson
continued his work further. Abraham Darby II conceived the idea
of building an iron bridge over Severn river but died before it was
built.
It was his son Abraham Darby III who saw to the completion of
the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale.
This Bridge was the first Iron Bridge to be constructed and was a
live example of the versatility of the material it was made from and
I MAGE 1.3 The Iron Bridge on the river Severn
the skills of the Coalbrookdale Ironworks company owned by the
Darbys.
The bridge spans just over 30 meters and is made of smaller inter-
locking cast iron pieces.
The architect of the Bridge Thomas Farnolls Pritchard proposed a
single arch bridge so that no thoroughfare on the river got dis-
turbed due to piers.
The sections of the bridge were cast at Coalbrookdale and as-
I MAGE 1.4 Arch ribs of the Iron Bridge
sembled on site by interlocking the pieces together without using
bolts or rivets. The bridge is over 7 meter wide and is supported
by 5 arch ribs. Each rib cast in 2 halves. The full assembly of the
bridge took 3 months for completion.
Section 3

Exhibitions I NTERACTIVE 1.2 Crystal Palace

Key Words

1. Crystal Palace

2. Joseph Praxton
An attempt to bring art and technology together
3. Green House

4. Eiffel Tower
Crystal Palace
5. Gustav Eiffel Crystal Palace was commissioned for The Great Exhibition of
1851. The key specifications for the structure were as follows the
building had to be temporary, simple, as cheap as possible, and
economical to build within the short time remaining before the Ex-
hibition opening, which had already been scheduled for 1 May
1851.

It was designed by Joseph Paxton. The Exhibition was held to

showcase the English Industrial prowess as well as attempt to
bring art and technology together.
Location of the exhibition was Hyde Park and it took 6 months for Eiffel Tower
the construction to be completed.

It housed many new inventions of the time with their working mod- I NTERACTIVE 1.3 Eiffel Tower
els. Paxton was famous for his green houses. So for the design of
the Crystal Palace he stuck to what he knew best and so the
Crystal Palace is one giant green house.

The structural support system was through arches and columns

and the material used was Cast Iron and Plate Glass. This was
the newly invented cast plate glass, cheaper long sheets of
stronger glass. Largest amount of Glass use seen for the first
time, here at Crystal Palace.

Least amount of ornamentation was done with clear walls and

ceiling. No interior lighting was required. It was a modular type of
construction.( 77 module x 19 module) with each module was 24'
x 24' size supported by slim cast iron pillars, cast iron beams and
Presentation on Eiffel Tower, Paris.
3 roof units 8' x 24' places side by side. Ridge and furrow
method of construction was typical to Paxton and the channels at
the end of each 8' unit acted as gutters.

Channels emptied in the main gutter. Water then brought down

through the end columns that were made hollow and also acted
as down water pipes.

For the central vault and gallery 72' wide Paxton used trellis gird-
ers to get a clear span. This gallery, a barrel vault transept was
128' high, covered elm trees.