Cast-iron architecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cast-iron architecture is a form of architecture where cast iron plays a prominent role. It was a prominent style in the Industrial Revolution era when cast iron was relatively cheap and modern steel had not yet been developed.
Contents |
[edit] Structural Use
Cast iron has been used for centuries, and was used occasionally in architecture in the pre-modern period. Most notably some large temples in China made use of its strength and versatility. It was in eighteenth century Britain that new production methods first allowed cast iron to be produced cheaply enough and in large enough quantities to regularly be used in large building projects. One of the first important projects was The Iron Bridge in Shropshire, a precedent setting structure made almost entirely of cast iron. However, it was grossly over-designed, and the makers (principally Abraham Darby suffered financially as a result. The quality of the iron used in the bridge is not high, and nearly 80 brittle cracks are visible in the present structure. Later designers and engineers, such as Thomas Telford improved both the design and quality of the material in his bridges (for example, at Buildwas upstream of Coalbrookdale) and aqueducts (such as the world-famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in North Wales.
Cast iron has some architectural assets, and some weaknesses. It is strong in compression (although weak in tension), and is also impervious to flame. In the early era of the industrial revolution it thus became popular to use cast iron in factory construction. Cast iron was strong enough to support the heavy machinery and was not vulnerable to the frequent fires that would occur in such factories. William Strutt pioneered this innovation, building a number of industrial buildings using cast iron supports. However, there were numerous building collapses caused by brittle fracture of large cast iron beams, often from defects such as blow holes within the beams. It was also used widely in bridge construction for the new railway system, sometimes with horrific results, especially when cast iron girders were used instead of arches. The first use was at the Water Street terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 to a design by William Fairbairn. To build longer spans, wrought iron trusses were added (mistakenly) to strengthen the structure. Such trussed bridges had to be demolished following the Dee bridge disaster of 1847. This led to the use of wrought iron composite beams formed by riveting sheets together, and then steel rolled beams when steel became available in the late 1860's and 1870's.
[edit] Decorative Use
In the nineteenth century the cheapness and availability of cast iron led to it also being used extensively for decorative purposes. John Haviland of Philadelphia first developed the concept of using cast iron for decorative facades, and the style was heavily used by James Bogardus of New York City. Cast iron could be forged into a wide array of shapes and designs, allowing elaborate facades that were fare cheaper than traditional stone carved ones. These facades could also be painted a wide array of colours. Many of these buildings had elaborate neo-classical or Romanesque designs. Mostly used on commercial and industrial buildings there are many surviving examples, especially in the SoHo and Tribeca areas of New York.
Cast iron also became the standard support structure in the construction of greenhouses, and this type of design led to the monumental Crystal Palace built in London in 1851. Designed by Joseph Paxton, the glass and cast iron structure was much imitated around the world.
In the late nineteenth century modern steel was developed, and it proved far more suitable to cast iron for structural and support purposes. The fashion for forged cast iron facades also faded in this era. Many of the innovations of the cast iron period were carried over to the new steel frame buildings, and were essential to the development of the modern skyscraper.
[edit] References
- John Gloag and Derek Bridgwater, A History of Cast Iron in Architecture, Allen and Unwin, London (1948)
- Peter R Lewis, Disaster on the Dee: Robert Stephenson's Nemesis of 1847, Tempus (2007) ISBN 978 0 7524 4266 2
