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INDUSTRIALIZATION : revolution or transition ?

In this subject, we relate the modern architecture with the contemporary one.

The text on which I based my reasoning was from Le Corbusier who presented how architecture changed. Instead, new plans of the cities were established following the idea of mass housing. All these changes were coming from the progress of industrialization on the 20th century. New materials were adopted, but also the new machine aesthetic where architects forgot the Tradition. The structures of the building began to be shown, and architects eliminated the unnecessary details. It is the case of the Crystal Palace made by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. The building is made of steel structure and glass panels.  

However, as Francisco da Graca said, contemporary author of the manifesto «The Dilemma of building in the built », this changes made conflicts. This evolution was done without considering the History, without any transition. Urban development and architecture in general began to be seen as an invasion of old cities, managed by economical issues, loosing its identity. 

As Marta Alonso said on her essay : « on one hand we have the old, vintage, historical and with history buildings and on the other hand the new materials, impossible shapes and originality that concern the new century way of constructing, but a possible modernity exist and that there are three possible ways to explore it :

1- traditionally by copying the past building

2- contrasting with no harmonies the old and the new 

3- mixing the old and the new »

Contemporary architecture has the same values : break from the traditionalism by using new technologies and materials. The form has to fit with functionality of the building, and most of the time, industrialization is also part of architecture the building : apparent structures, material used etc. 

Motion typography logo

As I showed it in my motion typography, the industry took over the tradition, but there is no evolution without adaptation.

 Instead, architects have to respect their environment and take care of the context before to build. Industry adapts itself too the tradition and both could fit as a pair, the tradition as a base for the new architecture as we can see for the Joao Carrilho da Graca’s project, the archeological museum of “praça nova do castelo de são jorge” in Lisbon, Portugal (2010). In this project, the architect accomplished two points of the Marta’s essay about the possible way of a new architecture : he mixed the old and the new using his environment but also he is contrasting both new and old by the use of new materials coming from industry revolution.