After Renaissance the developement of rational thinking, scientific research methods
and experimental science, brought a great change and devolopment of philosophy, science and
art of great with it. This change and developement derived humanity to make second great
revolution after sedentism; industrial revolution. Proponents of the benefits of industrialization
point to amazing inventions, technological advances, and increased global wealth. In this
research I will explain industrial revolution effect on materiality and architecture.
As a result of advances in energy sources, technology and metalurgy, steel production
in high temperatured furnace was started. New chemicals were discovered and great devolopments
were sustained in cement and concrete production. Construction materials and dimensions
were diversified. One of the defining and most lasting features of the Industrial Revolution
was the rise of cities. In pre-industrial society, over 80% of people lived in rural areas. The
imigration from the countryside increased the need for housing.
The basic development of the industrial society was new materials and processes as a
result of mass production. In early 20th century emerge of steel and concrete and their use in
bearing system and also the use of elevators caused the production of multi-storey buildings.
The use of concrete and steel as a static element let the limiting and bearing functions of the facade
work independently. By the virtue of this proceedings a modern and bare understanding
of architecture which stripped from the classical forms and the rules and adopted new building
materials and construction methods, has emerged. This new understanding ’’modernism’’ that
derived concrete, steel, glass and plastic as a static and limiting element, started the quest to
functionalism, rationalizm, brutalism, dadaizm, neoplastisism, futurism, surrealism, constructivism,
postmodernizm.. However there were discussions about every new style that emerged,
in my point of view all of them were significantly important because they were saying something new.

Unite d’Habitacion by Le Corbusier,

The examples of different materials used in architecture after the industrial revolution
are unlimited from the use of cast iron and plate glass in Crystal Palace to use of rough-cast
concrete in Unite d’habitacion by Le Corbusier. The significance of the Farnsworth House by
Mies van Der Rohe was recognized even before it was built. In 1947 a model of the Farnsworth
House was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the actual construction,
the aesthetic idea was progressively refined and developed through the choices of materials,
colors and details. From the architect. inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, the
Glass House by Philip Johnson, with the use of glass, its perfect proportions and its simplicity,
is considered as one of the first most brilliant works of modern architecture. Ofcourse we don’t
only see the effect of modernism and use of different materials in luxury housing projets. The
Weissenhofleid estate with its simplified facades, flat roofs used as terraces, window bands,
open plan interiors, the high level of prefabrication which permitted their erection in just five
months and white painted exterior was known as a landmark of modernism. In this context it
can be understood that industrial revolution led to design of lots of magnicifent examples of
architectur and made impossibles possible.
On the other hand the technological developments that effected materiality was not
only indurstrial. The improvement of computer technologies helped us to experiment the
strenght, static or visual aspects of the materials.

Crystal Palace

With the influence of the global world even the understanding of mass production has
changed. Before it was a great improvement to provide materials for architecture but then the
architecture as the act of building itself became the product of mass production. Nowadays in
any metropolitan city in any enviroment and culture all around the world you can see carbon
copy buildings with the same facade, same material and same typology just like they have been
produced in the same factory.
To conclude however before the industrial revolution the best material to build was the
local source nowadays we have a big variety of materials to use in our projects. Mass production
with its stable quaility, fast production and by being economic has overtaken the old
fashion understanding of materiality. Nowadays we have unlimited variety of materials with
lots of different functions that we can build any design we imagined in no time compare to old
times. However all of this gives us a really strong hand to design, I couldn’t help to ask myself
why we are getting less and less successfull to design buildings that represents something new
and why we are not more successfull to build timeless buildings.