Ancestry: History: Modern: Architecture:


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Thanks to the Renaissance the emphasising of humanity and individuality over that of religion led the way to many drastic changes in the concept of architecture during the Modern Era. In this earlier time, there was no differentiation between an artist or an architect and as such many new buildings that were erected during this period were ascribed by that particular building much like an artist would autograph his or her works of art.

As the Industrial Revolution led on though and vehicles became a more common sight as well as larger vehicles were created to move object and supplies, it was soon realised that an artist generally does not have the understanding of structural tolerances for the construction of various structures. While it was still not uncommon to see a bridge being designed by an artist, the advent of learning amongst the people made way for the new specialties of engineering and architecture.

The concept and understanding of the scope of various materials used in the construction of structures gave way to many new engineers and architects that were capable of designing a strong structure that would last the ages, but these began to lose their artistic flair. As a result, one would ultimately see the rise of what has become dubbed as the gentleman architect. These gentleman architects focused on the wealthier clientele and as a result the Scottish Baronial and the Neo Gothic styles of architecture were born.

This led to a new type of education for architecture. Most architects would start off their career as nothing more than an artist. As an artist their position was that of a drafter whose sole responsibility was to take the architect’s design and make it beautiful and artistic. From there they would work their way up the ladder and learn the concepts of architecture through much of an internship type of employment.

As the Industrial Revolution led on, more and more of the middle-class or working class were looking for more of an aesthetically appealing lifestyle which was only once reserved for the rich and wealthy. Ornamental products started to appear on the assembly lines and the things that were at one point bought from a craftsman were now mass-produced and available at a much cheaper price. Furthermore, in the homes of the working class there was a need for a more appealing design of the home which led to the development of the vernacular architectural style.

Thanks to a better understanding of steel and the newer ability to mass produce steel beams, there was a new need for a building which could defy any previous concept of a plausible construction. As a result the new term, skyscraper made its way into the limelight and engineers began working side by side with architects to build taller buildings than were ever thought possible in a short period of time.

When the concept of skyscrapers first came up, it was followed by both scepticism as well as popularity. The skyscraper is able to cover a variety of functionality, usability as well as aesthetics that seemed too good to be true. The skyscraper seemed like too much of a perfect building which also encompasses dimension and other aspects such as those associated with human sciences like psychological effects as well as cultural.

While this concept of skyscrapers continued to be passed around by the industrialist elite, the architecture of common buildings too became more aesthetic as well as functional. One such style that became popular was known as the Victorian styled home which was highly functional without the loss of the psychological affects needed to make a home truly a home.

The most common forms of architecture seen during the Modern Era include varieties like that of the British Arts and Crafts movement, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Jacobethan, Neoclassicism, Neo-Grec, Painted ladies, Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival, Second Empire, Stick-Eastlake as well as Industrial architecture.

These styles were not just found in England, but they were found all over the world. Many cities were built up upon these forms of architecture. In cities like Saint Paul, Richmond, London, Galveston, St. Louis, Boston, Glasgow, San Francisco, Louisville, Mumbai, Pittsburgh, Manchester, Melbourne, Toronto, Toledo as well as New Orleans many structures built on these Modern Era architectural styling still survive today.

Original Authors: Nick (Globel Team)
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 18/07/2008

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