Title: What impact has technology had on architecture of the 20th century? - mainly notes Essay - 1125 Words
Headings: What impact has technology had on architecture of the 20th century? - mainly notes
What impact has technology had on architecture of the 20th century? - mainly notes
Content: One need only to look to the Carson Pirie Scott Building built by Loius H. Sullivan in 1906 to understand the effect that new materials had on architecture of that era (fig.#1). With its wide spans, large horizontal windows and non load-bearing walls, the building has a much lighter and more open feeling than that of its predecessors. The Carson Pirie Scott buildingÕs elevation is expressive of the Chicago Steel frame style made possible by industry. Another example of how new materials affected architecture is the Apartments at 25 bis Rue Franklin in Paris designed by August Perret (fig. # 2). He used reinforced concrete for the skeleton of this building , which is visible on its exterior, and which gives it an overall impression of lightness. This also allowed Perret to open up his floor plan in ways that were previously restructed in wood frame construction; the size of the windows was only limited by Paris bye-laws. Structure became expedient, quick to build and flexible to use. Along with Elisha OtisÕs electric elevator, these materials - as a direct result of technology - gave birth to the sky scraper and changed the face of architecture forever.