3.
Steel - most purified version of iron;
091422
USE OF IRON & STEEL
- industrial revolution
dramatically changed
the scene in terms of
reliance to natural
materials for
construction
: was the period in
world history wherein
there was a significant progress in the
economies of the cities and it translated to
the emergence of factories, improvement in
transportation like railroads & steam
engines; this played a really important and
relevant role in the way people lived
: new materials also emerged
IRON PRODUCTION
- in 1700s, it gave the people an idea of the
significance of this material because in
1750s, there was a decrease in the price of
crude iron which signaled the increase of its
production
- there was a significant increase in the
production of iron materials:
1800s - 825,000 tons
1900s- 40, 000, 000 tons (50x as
much)
- iron is available in 3 forms commercially:
1. Cast iron - most basic type,
somewhat brittle, not really
outstanding in terms of durability but
displayed impressive compressive
strength which is very useful in
constructions like in railways,
railroads/structures that are not for
human habitations
2. wrought iron
all impurities were removed and
carbon was added to make it very
durable
- in terms of architecture, iron did not
immediately make its presence known in the
buildings as it started of in so called
“humbled structures”, in engineering works
like bridges
WORKS THAT MADE USE OF IRON:
(before it was used in buildings)
1. Severn Bridge, England (1775 - 1779)
- designed by Abraham Darby, it is the first
arch bridge made out of cast iron; 476 tons
of iron was used
- Darby owned a processing plant for crude
iron which was nearby the bridge
- shaped after a familiar form which was
popularized by the Ancient Romans, the arc
- the completion of this bridge somewhat
signified the departure of the traditional
timber construction of bridges; an important
milestone in construction particularly in
making use of cast iron
- not the entire bridge is made of iron; the
vertical supports were made of masonry
- framing of the bridgeway and arc support
below it demonstrated the capabilities of
iron at this time
- spanned around 30m
- method of creation was based on
carpentry; bolts used to fasten the half-ribs
together at the crown of the arch
2. Sunderland Bridge, England (1793-1796)
- planned by American writer, Thomas Paine
and built by Robert Burbon in England
- it spanned 72 meters made of small cast
iron components connected by wrought iron
bars
- longer span due to the arc being designed
more shallow than usual so it could expand
longer + combination of cast-iron and
wrought iron
3. Bridge over Menai Straits, Wales (1848)
- Designed by Robert Stephenson, it
consisted of pure beam construction of steel
web plate girders
- steel as a building material allowed it to
span longer distances (140-meter rectangular
iron tubes)
- very functional looking structure
- the only ornamental element of this bridge
design is found at the ends of the bridge
through the sculpture of lion images (2 lions
on each ends; the presence of these lions
were inspired from a Welsh’s rhyme by John
Evans)
4. Conway Castle Bridge (1822-1826)
- designed by Thomas Telford, it is one of
the first ion suspension bridges made
possible by the tensile strength of steel
- main span: 99.7m
- support isn’t under the bridge anymore as
observed from the previous bridges; the
supports are above, lifting the bridgeway
over the body of water below
- one of the earliest examples of a steel
suspension bridge
IRON AND STEEL CONSTRUCTION
- the cast iron column was the first structural
building material produced by the new
industrial methods
- the period between 1850-1880 was known
as the “Cast Iron Age” in the U.S with the
construction of commercial buildings with
cast-iron fronts and cast-iron skeletons
- with mass production already in place
because of industrial revolution, the
production of cast-iron columns is made
even more convenient
- the St. Louis Riverfront Building in USA: : full skeleton frame construction
the framing of the windows is made out of meaning not just the body is making use of
cast-iron the method but even the roof and other parts

- the cast iron skeleton construction method

was invented by James Bogardus (engineer)
in the mid-1800s -
*skeleton construction is also known as there are turbines under the bridge,
framework* operating through the current of the river
- his best known building is the Harper and and produce power into the activities inside
Brothers Building (1854) the building
- the cast iron skeleton resulted to openness, - constructed over the river Marne
addition of more windows, not a lot of solid
walls
- using this method decreases the reliance on
solid masonry wall construction especially
the load-bearing type of walls

BUILDINGS THAT MADE USE OF

IRON:
1. Menier Chocolate Works (1871 - 1872)
- in its outer walls, exposed slender iron
members enclose polychrome brickwork
which shows diagonal bracing of iron frame
giving a “half-timber work” effect
HENRY LABROUSTE (1801-1875)

- French architect, who

studied the ancient Roman
- located in Noisiel Sur-Marne by Jules monuments to secure the
Saulnier; constructed in 1871-1872 “spirit behind each
- considered as a pioneer example of a full construction”
skeleton frame construction
- “in architecture, form must always be
appropriate to the function for which it is
intended”
2. Library of Genevieve (1843-1855) by
Labrouste
- represents first attempt to fully use cast and
wrought iron in an important public building
- shows traditional masonry construction
transformed by the new technology and use
of traditional forms even with new
possibilities from iron materials
- appears very traditional with it still using
masonry on its walls but this masonry wall
is actually a curtain wall
: a wall that functions as a covering
rather than load-bearing
- support is made possible by the cast iron
frame which can be seen in the interior
- Labrouste might have been the first one to
apply this method in a public building
- cast iron columns from which arches
would springout
- With innovation of the structural
components and the construction
methodology, the building became more
open which is similar to the application of
Gothic architecture to cathedrals; the
combination of pointed arches, ribbed vault
and the flying buttresses, showed the need of
more slender vertical supports making more
space
- reading room spanned 2 long barrel vaults
with scrolled iron arches springing from
central line of slender cast iron columns
- key characteristic of iron which is its
malleability was shown as the support had
patterns on them
: malleable meaning easily
influenced so it can be shaped, pressed,
curved, bent etc.
3. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris
(1858-1856) by Labrouste
- uses slender-looking iron columns; no
obstruction of view or entry of light into the
central reading area
- reading room covered by 9 pendentive
terracotta domes with “eye” at the crown to
allow natural lighting, supported by slender
cast iron columns and arches
- columns are connected by semi-circular
girders
- 1st international exhibition was held in
1851 in London initiated by Prince Consort
Albert and Sir Henry Cole
EXAMPLES:
1. Crystal Palace, London (1851) by Joseph
Paxton

- iron columns and vaults emphasizes slim

and elegant forms
- these ornamental elements are made of
iron which can be mass produced unlike
- first use of building prefabrication; design
marble and other older materials that had to
planned around the largest standard sheet of
be manually carved
glass available that time, 1.20m
- designed by English gardener and
- Magasin central is
architect, Joseph Paxton, to house the Great
top-lit and has slatted
Exhibition in Hyde Park and later
metal floors
transferred to Sydenham
- room is built to
- made of iron framing and glass material
accommodate 90,000
- resembles a crystal hence the name; lucid
volumes and covered
in character, looks transparent
by glass ceiling
- the design was fitted to what was
- framing of the glass ceiling, the flooring of
prevailing at that time especially the glass
the different levels of the library and the
- glass was already mass produced but the
storage of the books is made of iron
dimensions of glass available commercially
- the floors are perforated so it allows light
at that time was quite limited (1.2m max for
to penetrate through and shine on the lower
length) so the framing of the palace was
floors
made to adapt to that available dimension of
: to be pierced with holes
glass; same concept with gothic architecture
GREAT EXHIBITIONS
in the form of tracery where they had to
- with expansion of industries and influx of
keep in mind the availability of stained glass
new inventions, there was a need for venues
at that time in the medieval period
for showcasing new products
- another notable advantage of making use
- paved the way of the construction of
of this type of construction is the period of
exhibition spaces and halls
construction which we’ve seen in Menier
Chocolate Works
 1. Gallery of the Machines
- resembled
a
double-aisle
basilica on
section
rising in 3
tiers: lowest
at 124,4m wide, next (inner aisles) 80.4m
- designed by architect, Charles Ferdinand
and nave 36.5m
Dutert with engineer Victor Contamin
- total width is made up of 51; 2.4m-wide
- presently, this is no longer standing
bay units and its length was 563m
because it was demolished
PLAN OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE:
- this is still made up of a metal frame a
sheet, and a building envelope of glass
- it was 420m long with an unsupported span
of 115m, first time such span had ever been
bridged
- skeleton composed of 20 arched trusses

- Paxton drew 560m x 137m plan of

building in 9 days after none of the 245
entries in a design competition was accepted
- changes were made when the palace was
- four-centered arches of steel hinged at the
re-enacted in Sydenham with the nave being
apex and the base; usual combination of
given a barrel vault
forms technique and function working
together
PARIS EXHIBITIONS OF 1889
- resulted to an unobstructed central hall
- arc trusses form both the roof and the
building wall; appears tent-like
- at the bottom of the arc trusses are its
connection to ground in what Klassen
described as tiptoeing ballerinas
2. Eiffel Tower

- designed by Gustave Eiffel

(engineer)
- this 305m high structure
embodied Eiffel’s experience
with foundations and supports against
intricacies of earth and wind
- its design is actually an entry to another
design competition; the Eiffel Tower won
- the organizers provided guidelines where
part of the theme of the competition was that
it should commemorate the anniversary of
the French revolution; the Eiffel Tower was
interpreted as an abstract interpretation of
the designer of the prevailing sentiments
after the French Revolution
: the toppling of the absolute
monarchs and entry of democratic way of
governance
- the pointed tip was said to symbolize the
aspirations and the positive ambitions of the
people
- iconic landmark whose frame is purely
iron/steel, no aesthetic elements so it's just
fully exposing the metal frame of the tower
- acted as the portal towards the exhibition
area
- four pylons anchored to separate
foundations
- elevators run in support’s interiors as far as
second level then one elevator to the third
*insert pic*
- when the tower was being constructed, it
received a lot of criticism from the people
*like the Notre Dame, it was subject to
demolition because of neglect until a literary
piece romanticized it and changed the
perspective of the people*
- traditionalists regarded iron as a false
material, not meant to showcased at the
exterior of the buildings so it should be
hidden
3. Fine Arts Building
4. Liberal Arts Building
5. Great Exhibition Center