Eisen und Stahl - Baumaterial der Moderne: Stahl in der Architektur des Industriezeitalters-Teil Ⅱ

摘要

In the course of the industrial revolution iron and steel became the dominant building material. At the same time it became clear that the architecture, which practiced and repeated the historical vocabulary of forms for a long time, now appropriated the new material as a vehicle of expression of the modern age. This can be seen in a notable way in the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. With Konrad Wachsmann, Richard Buckminster Fuller and others, further dimensions of modern construction were developed. On the one hand, it is the circumstances of industrial construction in which Wachsmann recognizes the "turning point in construction". Now it's about prefabrication, standardization, rationalization and system construction. And here of course the most universal connection techniques of the elements play a vital part, for example the "knot". Thus, the factors of industrialization are a major challenge, and on the other hand, it is the mastering of the large dimensions for state-of-the-art infrastructures like airports, stadiums and halls. The main target is to achieve the widest span, the lightest construction, the largest space with the least amount of material Fuller's "More with Less" principle, which of course is a reflection of Mies van der Rohe's motto "Less is More". Fuller's geodesic domes are the triumphant signs of lightweight construction for gigantic spaces and so are Wachsmann's aircraft hangars, tensegrity bridges and especially the large spans and the perceived weightlessness of the cable net and tent constructions. The enormous evolution of steel construction in the 20th century helps to eliminate certain cliches, for example some preconceptions about the role of the architect and the engineer. The cooperation of both disciplines includes a kind of techno-aesthetic empathy, the ability of the architect to consider the constructions and the material as well as the ability of the engineer to immerse himself in the milieu of architecture and the artistic aspects. People like Fuller, for example, demonstrate to us how fundamental it is to keep thinking beyond the boundaries of the disciplines.