Impact of Industrial Revolution on World Architecture

The Industrial Revolution began in England and some part of Europe and the
United States, in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and
1840. The Industrial Revolution began to take shape in Britain and then spread to
other countries. It led to radical changes at every level of civilization throughout
the world.

The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in history which was marked
by a shift in the world from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated
by industry and machine manufacturing. The manufacturing of goods which was
carried out by people locally now these goods are started manufacturing in the
industries. It brought about a greater volume and variety of factory-produced
goods and raised the standard of living for many people, particularly for the middle
and upper classes. The shift to machine manufacturing stemmed from the
implementation of new and powerful energy sources like coal and steam. With a
powerful energy source powering nations of the Western world, new industrious
materials were being produced at alarmingly fast rates. As a result of such a fast
growing economy cities began to expand to accommodate the booming industries.
Technological change also made possible the growth of capitalism. Factory
owners and others who controlled the means of production rapidly became very
rich. Workers were often able to afford no more than the simplest housing,
resulting in the rise of urban slums. This required architects to begin designing
new ways of housing such an expansive population and economy.

Many handmade tools were replaced by the power-driven machines and the
steam engines were also used to driven the machine. The first commercially
successful engine that could transmit continuous power to a machine was Piston
steam engine. The growth of heavy industry brought a flood of new building
materials; such as cast iron, steel, and glass. As the steam engines were also
used in transportation which evolves to extensive use to transportation system.
Therefore the rapid development of means of transportation such as canals,
tunnels, bridges, etc. takes place.

The Industrial Revolution, which happened in the latter half of the 18th century,
brought about a number of changes in the architectural scenario all over the
world. Architectural design took a huge turn and all for the better. Access to better
resources, more material, better techniques; all were contributing factors to
architecture becoming a full-blown. The world turned greatly towards Greek and
Roman forms of architectural design. It was considered fashionable, and rightly
so, to borrow from various types of architectural designs. The Greek designs were
what dominated the architectural designs that were taken up, right till the 19th
century.

Because the Industrial Revolution also saw advancement in technology and

manufacturing facilities, architecture became popular and it became easier to
design the buildings. New architectural designs were incorporated with eases one
adapts one’s own designs on the architectural designs from over the world, giving
an edge to almost all works produced after the Industrial Revolution. It was during
the Industrial Revolution that the textile industry also boomed. Because of this
development, architectural designs introduced fabrics like velvet and silk. This
brought about the concept of interiors being incorporated into the architectural
designs, making them interestingly different from all the designs known to exist
before this era.

The growth of modern industry since the late 18th century led to massive
urbanisation and the rise of new great cities, first in Europe and then in other
regions, as new opportunities brought huge numbers of migrants from rural
communities into urban areas. In 1800, only 3% of the world's population lived in
cities compared to nearly 50% today (the beginning of the 21st century).

The rapid population growth in the 19th century included the new industrial and
manufacturing cities, as well as service centres such as Edinburgh and London.
People moved in so rapidly there was not enough capital to build adequate
housing for everyone, so low-income newcomers squeezed into increasingly
overcrowded slums. Clean water, sanitation, and public health facilities were
inadequate; the death rate was high, especially infant mortality, and tuberculosis
among young adults. Cholera from polluted water and typhoid were endemic.

The biggest impact of the Industrial Revolution on 19th cent architecture was the
mass-production of iron and later steel in quantities where it became an
economically plausible building material (as opposed a limited material for
weapons and tools). This magical material, steel, was a game changer in
architecture. It's hard to overstate the importance of it in modern life. And the use
of steel as reinforcement material with the concrete started which results in
increasing the spans and the large indoor open spaces were now made possible

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with the use of strong iron framed construction; this was ideal for factories,
museums and train stations.

The Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Exhibition in Paris was a dramatic
demonstration by the French of their mastery of this new construction technology.
“To the architect-engineer belongs a new decorative art, such as ornamental
bolts, iron corners extending beyond the main line, a sort of Gothic lacework of
iron. We find that to some extent in the Eiffel Tower.”

Ion lattice structures and the use of wrought iron became prominent in the
construction sector and for decorating purposes on facades and indoor for
treatment. The replacement of wood and limestone by ion lattice structure
together with the newly invented Portland cement permitted the erection of
buildings of gigantic height, bridges, train stations, factories for decorating
purposes on facades and indoor for treatment. The replacement of wood and
limestone by ion lattice structure together with the newly invented Portland cement
permitted the erection of buildings of gigantic height, bridges, train stations,
factories.

https://thearchiblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/impact-of-industrial-revolution-on-architecture/

https://www.designpresentation.com/blog/impact-of-industrial-revolution-on-architectural-design/

https://www.scribd.com/document/102638420/Impact-of-Industrial-Rev-on-architecture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution#Social_effects