The Triumph of the Iron Masters The Search for a Style

The Triumph of the Iron MastersThe Search for a Style

Crystal Palace Great Exhibition of the Industry of All NationsHyde Park, London, 1851

The Search for Style

• The confidence apparent in the architecture of the age of elegance in the preceding century had evaporated– It was an age of uncertainty

Patrons of Architecture

• Emergence of the bourgeoisie• The fashionable architecture of the nineteenth

century was designed to meet middle-class aspirations

Industrial Revolution

• Started in Britain (1750 – 1850)• New way of making things• Exploitation of Natural Resources– Begun with the exploitation of water and coal

Industrial Revolution

• Spread with a relentless force throughout the world– Dramatic increase in urban population– Demand for new buildings swelled• Need for designs that will satisfy the new building types

for a changing society

Discovering an Architectural Style

• Search for a style appropriate to the changing environment

• Architects needed authority to validate a new approach in architecture

• Classical and Gothic architecture expressed authority and were the main candidates for the battle for a style

• Other styles were also experimented on

John RuskinBest known for his architectural treatiseThe Seven Lamps of ArchitectureProvided intellectual authority that enabled the public to distinguish the good and the bad, what is wrong and right in architecture

Gothic

• Revival of the gothic style– The gothic revival went through different phases

of growth and maturity– Led to a greater understanding of the style leading

to a freedom of personal expression for the designer

Houses of Parliament London, EnglandCharles Barry and A.W.N. Pugin

Symbols of the rise of the middle classReform Club 1837Pall Mall Charles BarryItalianate manner

Symbols of the rise of the middle classTraveller’s Club 1827Pall Mall Charles BarryItalianate manner

Barry provided a logical classical plan for the Houses of Parliament

Plan of the Houses of Parliament, 1844

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin designed the Gothic inspired elevation, details and interiors

Houses of Parliament

The Gothic Revival

• The English architect A.W. Pugin acquired a mastery of medieval architecture in his youth and went on to state that Gothic architecture was the only true Christian Architecture.

• He was a consultant to the Sir Charles Barry on the British Houses of Parliament (1835).

Two Principles in Architecture by Pugin

• There should be no features about a building which are not necessary for convenience, construction or propriety

• Ornament should not just be applied but express the essential structure of the building

Saint Giles Catholic Church Elaborate colour and furnishingsCheadle, StaffordshireAugust Welby Pugin in 1841

Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878)

St Pancras Hotel

St Pancras Station

St. Pancras’ Dramatic contrast of the Gothic façade and the train shed which is a product of the new technology

St Pancras Station

Engineer W.H. Barlow, St. Pancras Train Shed 1868Gothic shaped roof, 243 ft. wide 600 ft. long,

Point of the arch standing 100 ft. above rail level.

Largest enclosed space in the world when built

Engineers and Surveyors

• Telford: Built bridges, roads, canals and churches

• Stephensons: Built bridges and railways

• Brunel: Built bridges, railways and ships

Buildings and artifacts of industry provided knowledge and experience that could be adapted to architecture

sAlbert Dock LiverpoolJesse Hartley 1845

Warehouse with area covering seven acresMassive cast-iron Doric columns

One of the masterpieces of theIndustrial Revolution

Leeds Town Hall 1853Cuthbert Brodrick

Great rectangular planGigantic Corinthian ColumnsTall French-looking Baroque Tower

Leeds Town Hall 1853Cuthbert Brodrick

Symbol of civic pride in one of the new wealthy industrial cities

Grand Hotel Scarborough 1863-67Cuthbert BrodrickGrandest hotel of its timeA middle-class’ dream

• Used brick and terracotta• Had an original roof line with bulging

towers• Used the latest service technology

available

Coalbrookdale Bridge 1777Severn River EnglandAbraham Darby

A watercolour of the Iron Bridge under construction in 1779by Elias Martin.

Iron smelting furnace in Coalbrookdale

Close-up of bridge joints

Coalbrookdale BridgeStructural possibilities of Iron was

demonstrated on a dramatic scale• After a few years, iron was extensively

used for columns and frames• Hallow clay tile floors were also used to

provide fireproofing for the mills• Complete system of stanchions and

beams were used by the beginning of the 19th century

Iron

• In 1839 Chartres Cathedral’s roof was replaced with a cast-iron above the stone vault

• Iron was also used for the roof of the new palace of Westminster a few years later

• The use of iron declined after the 1850s due to architects preference for other materials and the intellectual dominance of Ruskin

Functional Tradition

• Iron was an obvious choice for the bulk of the ordinary buildings constructed– Bridges– Railway stations– Conservatories– Market halls– Shops and offices

Development in Construction Technology

• Pre-fabrication of building elements changed the craftsmanship and mechanization of the operations on site– Formation of large building contractors

• Development of new technical services– Heating and Ventilation– Plumbing and Sanitation– Gas lighting

Development in Construction Technology

• Last decades of the 19th century– Elevator– Telephones – Mechanical ventilation

Challenges to the Designer

• A new range of possibilities and aesthetic challenges for designers opened with the introduction of different technologies

Crystal PalaceGreat Exhibition of 1851Joseph PaxtonBrought the discoveries together and became

the most influential innovation of the timeSupported and enclosed by iron and glassConstructed in nine months and can be

dismantled and erected againDestroyed by fire in 1936

The Crystal Palace• Built in Hyde Park, London for the Great Exhibition of

that 1851 celebrating the achievement of modern industry.

• Designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, it was a “freak” creation for a very special moment. It could not be a starting point for the future because it was not related to the past.

• He went on to design historicist chateaux.

Crystal PalaceGreat Exhibition of 1851Joseph Paxton

Natural History MuseumLondon 1868-80Alfred Waterhouse

Yellow and blue terracottaLively animal details

All SaintsMargaret Street, London 1814 – 59William Butterfield

Complete demonstration of the principles of Pugin

The church, vicarage and hall are closely grouped around a small court

Spire is tall and the nave highVictorian architecture at its most

uncompromising

High Victorian Gothic

• All Saints’ Church, Margaret Street designed by William Butterfield in 1850 became the model church of the Ecclesiologists.

• Distinguished by its strong colours.

• The church demonstrates on one hand the blustering confidence of the English nation, and also confusion in its aesthetic aims.

All SaintsMargaret Street, London 1814 – 59William Butterfield

Oriel ChambersLondon Liverpool 1864Peter Ellis

More original in its construction and function as offices

Light iron frame and masonry piers

Provided a solution for creating an interesting rhythm with plate glass fenestration-use of shallow oriels the height of the building

The Paris Opera

• Was designed by Charles Garnier (1825-98) and today is known as the “Opera Garnier”.

• Provided a setting for the masses to have a chance to be seen.

• The architectural program emphasized the ritual of opera attendance over the presentation.

The Paris Opera

• Provided a setting for the masses to have a chance to be seen.

• The architectural program emphasized the ritual of opera attendance over the presentation.

Thorvaldsen Museum

Copenhagen 1839Gottlieb Bindesbøll

Use of Classical shapes and rich primary colours

Bibliotheque Ste. GenevieveParis 1843-50ExteriorHenri Labrouste

Bibliotheque Ste. GenevieveParis 1843-50Henri Labrouste

Light and lively interior

Eiffel TowerParis FranceGustave Eiffel

Most visited monument in ParisSignpost of the Paris exhibition in

1889Worlds tallest structure for many

yearsMetal web of great complexityDemonstrated spatial possibilities

for future structures and the decorative arts

Gustave designed the frame for the Statue of Liberty

Neuschwanstein Castle Bavaria, GermanyEduard Riedel and Georg von

Dollman

Fairy castle on a mountain

Alte PinakothekMunich 1826-36Leo von Klenze

One of the great picture galleries of the centuryFloor plan influenced the design of such buildings throughout Europe

High Renaissance

Galleria Vittorio EmanueleMilan, Italy 1863-7Giuseppe Mengoni

New roof pedestrian streetCruciform Plan 39 Metres diameter octagon30 metres high

Expensive shelter for shopping and socializing

Galleria Vittorio EmanueleMilan, Italy 1863-7Giuseppe Mengoni

Public Library Boston USA 1887-95McKim, Mead and White

Cinquecento essay of compelling elegance andExquisite craftmanship

Public Library Boston USA 1887-95McKim, Mead and White

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine ArtsPhiladelphia 1871-6Frank Furness

Industrial Revolution• Industry had drastically affected traditional building methods.

• Prefabrication made buildings into shippable commodities.

• Machines made possible the cheap production of ornament which had once indicated status.

• The nineteenth century had changed the whole architectural landscape with a wealth of new buildings and demonstrating a massive variety of taste