INTRODUCTION TO MODERN

ARCHITECTURE

SUBMITTED BY:
ABHINAV
ATHARVA
TARAN
UNNATI
 CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION
• Neo classical architecture emerged out of two
developments which transformed the relation between
man and nature.
First was increase in man’s capacity to control nature.
Second was difference in way to respond changes taking
place in society.
• The motivation of architects of eighteenth century was
not simply to copy the ancients but to obey their own
principles too.
• This soon lead to a major controversy between the
mediterranean cultures that should they look for a true
style?
● There was change in the nature of human
consciousness, in response to major changes taking
place in the society. It gave birth to the cultural
transformation taking place in the society.

Bank of England – Best known work of the Neo-classical architecture which

gave a boost to the spread of commercial architecture.
TERRITORIAL TRANSFORMATION

● Advanced industry
● Population increase
● Mass production/ higher efficiency
● Concentration of production in the city core
● High density residential close to production (no public
transportation; need to stay close)
● Slum and the substandard neighborhood (higher
density on the old infrastructure)
• Improved infrastructure and living conditions
• New industrial prototypes
• The open spaces and parks
TECHNICAL TRANSFORMATION

● Industrial revolution
● Changed production based, modes and locations
● The production of new materials (cast iron, reinforced
concrete, glass)
● Iron construction in railways, bridge and industrial
buildings
● The split of architecture and engineering
● The importance of the role of engineer
● New and unprecedented buildings (exhibition halls,
offices, factories)
MODERN ARCHITECTURE (1890s - 1975)
● Modern architecture was based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel and
reinforced concrete
● Modern architecture emerged at the end of the 19th century from revolutions in technology, engineering and building
materials, and from a desire to break away from historical architectural styles and to invent something that was purely
functional and new.
● The idea is that form of a building should follow its functions
● It emerged in the first half of the 20th century and became dominant after World War II until the 1980s

The first house

The Crystal built of
Palace, 1851, reinforced
was one of the concrete
first buildings to (1853) in Saint-
have cast plate Denis near
glass windows Paris
supported by a
cast-iron frame
EARLY MODERNISM

Early modern Architecture was seen primarily in England,France and later in United States was the transition between traditional and
modern architecture

The Industrial age can be divided in two parts : 1) Iron and steam phase, 2) Steel and electricity phase

Early modern architecture is also known as age of iron frame architecture. During this period, cast iron framing was introduced to
masonry buildings and walls were no longer used as a structural member,which increases floor space

This architecture included 1) iron frame masonry buildings, MATERIALS : Iron frames,Steel
frames and Glass
2) iron and glass buildings

As the 19th century came to an end,many

architects began to accept plain industrial
materials and lack of ornamentation as the new
aesthetic

Post and beam construction

EARLY MODERNISM

Modern architecture emerged in the early 20th century. Modern architecture shows the drastic change in design of buildings, from
traditional styles and construction techniques of the past.

Early modern architects used new materials and technology in their works. They used materials such as structural steel, concrete.

Frank Lloyd Wright is the leading figure in the history of early modern architecture. He combined the technology of steel and glass.

Some Characteristics of Early Modern Architecture were:

1. Use of Ferroconcrete and stone

2. Cantilever Construction

3. Use of materials such as steel and glass

4. Providing pure forms to structures

Steel frame and Glass in crystal palace

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

● The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime
between 1820 and 1840
● Industrial Revolution as a widespread replacement of manual labour by machines that began in Britain in the 18th century.
● People did not want to work manually for
the rest of their lives
● It led to countless discoveries in many feilds
of Work
● Impact Affected a lot of Industries like:
1. Construction Industry
2. Metallurgy
3. Steam Power
4. Chemicals
5. Glass Industry
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution made fundamental changes in architecture.Architecture saw
revolutionary and innovated work during this time period.

Before the late 19th century,the weight of a building was supported by the walls. The developement of steel due to industrial
revolution changed the architecture,Now concrete reinforced with steel bars was used for foundations of buildings. This not only
allowed for taller buildings,but for much larger windows which increased in daylight in interior spaces.

Interior walls became thinner which increased usable floor space

IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ON ARCHITECTURE

● Iron and steel began to replace bricks,timber and stone which were the primary building materials for large buildings
● Usage of glass increased on the exterior of buildings

A much more urbanised society formed and the society needed

larger buildings,which led to mass production of steel

The invention of cement contributed to change in construction

methods as well,cement started to get used on a large scale in
industries

It led to creation of factories which led to growth of urban areas,due

to which large number of workers migrated to urban areas

Housing was provided to them at the site

Use of Iron in Bridge construction

INVENTION OF NEW MATERIALS

Cast Iron : an alloy of iron that contains 2 to 4 percent carbon

Approx. 4 times resistant to compression than stone

Wrought iron : a tough malleable form of iron obtained by Iron bridge,Shropshire,England

puddling pig iron while molten

Glass : Used as glazing material

Concrete : Mixture between portland cement and water

Steel : Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, and sometimes

other elements
Steel reinforcement bars were used with concete during
industrial revolution Steel reinforcement bars
INTRODUCTION
● AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 19TH CENTURY, THE NEW NECESSITIES OF
INDUSTRIES AND CITIES LEAD TO NEW SOLUTIONS IN ARCHITECTURE AND
CONSTRUCTION . THIS WAS THE CENTURY OF THE EXPANSION OF THE
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN EUROPE AND USA.

FACTORIES IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

MAIN FEATURES
1) THE NEW WAYS OF PRODUCTION WERE
CHAIN AND MASS PRODUCTION
2) THE NEW MATERIALS INTRODUCED WERE
IRON, STEEL, GLASS, AND CONCRETE.
3)THEY ABONDONED THE HISTORICISM AND
GAVE RISE TO A NEW CURRENT, REFLECTING
THE DAILY REALITY AND THE TOUCHABLE
TRUTH

THESE INNOVATIONS CREATED A BOOM IN

CONSTRUCTION OF INFRASTRUCTURES AND
FACILITES FOR TRANSPORT AND
COMMUNICATION.
IRON
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION STARTED IN 1760,
GAVE RISE TO SEVERAL INNOVATIVE COMPOSITIONS
DESPITE A LOT OF CRITICS.

CAST IRON
- IT WAS MADE BY IMPROVING PIG IRON BY USING
COKE AS FUEL
- DUE TO IT’S STRENGTH IN COMPRESSION IT WAS USED
AS COLUMNS IN FACTORIES.
- CAST IRON ALSO REPLACED THE USE OF WOOD
COLUMNS IN FACTORIES AND MILLS.
WROUGHT IRON
- WROUGHT IRON WAS LIKE CAST IRON, DERIVED
FROM PIG IRON.
- IT WAS USED IN FLOORING AND ROOFING SYSTEMS
- IT IS 40 TIMES AS RESISTENT TO TENSION AND
BENDING AS STONE IS ONLY 4 TIMES HEAVIER.
- IT CAN BE FORMED AND MOULDED INTO ANY SHAPE.

GLASS
THE NEW SYSTEM OF BLOWING GLASS MEANT THAT LARGER WINDOWS COULD BE
USED IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY CREATING LARGER WINDOWS FOR FACTORIES TO
ALLOW THE WORKERS TO MORE NATURAL SUNLIGHT
A MAJOR ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW PROCESS WAS THAT GLASS PANELS COULD BE
MADE IN BIGGER SIZES.
It was during Medieval times that the use of glass was first
experimented with – being widely used as a decorative feature, and
not just as a means of letting light in. The architectural trend of Gothic
churches encouraged the use of stain-glassed windows to illustrate
biblical scenes, helping to set a future trend for the transparency and
luminosity of glass.

However, it was not until the industrial revolution that there were
substantial advancements in the production of glazing materials; large
sheets of glass, as well as the introduction of new construction
materials, were beginning to be manufactured, allowing for larger glass
façades to be held in place.

These developments opened up numerous possibilities to using glass

in construction and it was during this time that architects first trialed
designs that included glass conservatories, and entire walls of glass.
IRON BRIDGE , THE FIRST APPROACH TO
METAL CONSTRUCTION
1) WHEN IT WAS OPENED IN 1779, OVER
THE RIVER SEVERN, IT WAS
REVOLUTIONARY
2) IT WAS THE FIRST LARGE CONSTRUCTION
TO BE BUILT ENTIRELY OF METAL. IT WAS
THE BEGINNING OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION IN ARCHITECTURE AND
INSPIRED EVERYTHING FROM BRIDGES
TO SKYSCRAPERS IRON BRIDGE
3) WITH A SPAN OF 30.5 METERS AND A
CLEARANCE BELOW OF 18 METERS, IT
WAS A HUGE PROJECT.
 CRYSTAL PALACE
1) THE CRYSTAL PALACE WAS THE MAIN
EXHIBITON HALL THAT WOULD HOST THE
GREAT EXHIBITION NOW KNOWN AS
WORLD EXPO
2) THE CRYSTAL PALACE WAS A CAST IRON
AND PLATE GLASS STRUCTURE ORIGINALLY
BUILT IN LONDON.
3) THE BUILDING WAS A SIMPLE
RECTANGULAR SHAPE MEASURING 563.27M
LONG ANS 124.36M WIDESAVE AN
EXTRUSION ON THE NORTH SIDE
MEASURING 14.63M DEEP AND 285.29M
LONG. THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE
BUILDING IS 20.12M ABOVE THE FLOOR
LEVEL.
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
1. The Eiffel Tower is located on the Champ de
Mars in Paris.

2. It was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel.

3. The tower is 325m high.

4. The tower is 125m wide.

5. The tower is tallest building in Paris and most

visited paid monuments in the world.

Eiffel Tower
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
DESIGN
18038 Metallic Parts.
5300 Work Designs.

CONSTRUCTION
150 Workers in Levallois-Perret Factory.
Between 150 to 300 workers on construction site.
2,500,000 rivets.
7,300 tons of iron and 60 tons of paint
5 lifts

DURATION
2 years 2 months Eiffel Tower Dimensions
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
TIMELINE

Work Kick-Off Jan 1887 Construction upto 1st floor

Start of Pillar’s mounting July 1887

First Floor achievement Apr 1888

Construction upto 2nd floor
Second Floor achievement Aug 1888

Top and assembly achievement Mar 1889

Completed construction
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
FIRST EDITION
Sauvestre an engineer, proposed stonework
pedestals to dress the legs, monumental
arches to link the columns and the first level,
large glass-walled halls on each level, a bulb-
shaped design for the top and various
other ornamental features to decorate the
whole of the structure. In the end the project
was simplified, but certain elements such as
the large arches at the base were retained,
which in part give it its very characteristic
appearance.

Initial Edition of Eiffel Tower

EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
CONSTRUCTION
All the elements were prepared in Eiffel’s
factory located at Levallois-Perret on the
outskirts of Paris.
Each of the 18,000 pieces used to construct
the Tower were specifically designed and
calculated, traced out to an accuracy of a
tenth of a millimeter and then put together
forming new pieces around five meters each.
A team of constructors, who had worked on
the great metal viaduct projects, were
responsible for the 150 to 300 workers on site
assembling this gigantic erector set.

Construction
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
RIVET WORKERS
All the metal pieces of the tower are held
together by rivets, a well-refined method of
construction at the time the Tower was
constructed.
 First the pieces were assembled in the factory
using bolts, later to be replaced one by one with
thermally assembled rivets, which contracted
during cooling thus ensuring a very tight fit. A
team of four men was needed for each rivet
assembled: one to heat it up, another to hold it
in place, a third to shape the head and a fourth
to beat it with a sledgehammer.
Only a third of the 2,500,000 rivets used in the
construction of the Tower were inserted directly
on site.
Rivets
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS
The uprights rest on concrete
foundations installed a few meters below
ground-level on top of a layer of compacted
gravel.
Each corner edge rests on its own supporting Foundation
block, and each block is joined to the others by
walls.
WOODEN SCAFFOLDING
The tower was assembled using wooden
scaffolding and small steam cranes mounted
onto the tower itself.

Wooden scaffolding
EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS
MR EIFFEL’S BLUEPRINT

SOURCE: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON
1. The Crystal Palace was a glass and cast iron
structure built in London, England, for the
Great Exhibition of 1851.
2. The building was designed by Sir Joseph
Paxton, an architect and gardener, and
revealed breakthroughs in architecture,
construction and design.
3. In January 1850 a committee was formed to
choose the design for a temporary exhibition
building that would showcase the latest
technologies and innovations from around the
world: The “Great Exhibition of the Works of
Crystal Palace
Industry of all Nations.”
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON
DESIGN

1. Already a famous gardener at the time, Paxton

experimented extensively with glasshouse
construction.
2. Using combinations of prefabricated cast iron,
laminated wood, and standard sized glass
sheets, Paxton created the “ridge-and-furrow”
roof design.
3. Paxton proceeded to visit Hyde Park, where he
quickly doodled his famous concept drawing of
the Palace. The drawing included all the basic
elements of the building, and within two weeks
all calculations and detailed plans were
submitted.
Conceptual sketch by Paxton
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON
4. Paxton’ design was based on a 10in x
49in module, the size of the largest glass
sheet available at the time.
5. The modular system consisted of
right-angled triangles, mirrored and
multiplied, supported by a grid of cast
iron beams and pillars. These basic units
were extremely light and strong and
were extended to an incredible length of
564 meters.

Elevation andPlan
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON

Plan
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON
CONSTRUCTION
1. Paxton’s innovative plan commenced
immediately after approval in Hyde Park.
2. 5000 workers handled more than 1000 iron
columns and 84,000 square meters of glass.
3. All parts were prefabricated and easy to erect,
and every modular unit was self supporting, 
allowing the workers freedom in assembling
the pieces.
4. Thanks to Paxton’s simple and brilliant design,
over 18,000 panes of glass sheets were
installed per week, and the structure was
completed within 5 months.
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON
1. When the exhibition was closed 6 months
later, the structure was disassembled and
then reassembled in the
south London suburb of Sydenham Hill.
Tragically, the building was destroyed in a
fire in 1936.
2. Paxton’s ingenious design created an
unprecedented exhibition space. The
construction, acting as a self supporting
shell, maximized interior space, and the
glass cover enabled daylight. The method of
construction was a breakthrough in
technology and design, and paved the way
for more sophisticated pre-fabricated
design.
CRYSTAL PALACE,LONDON