Industrial buildings: the evolution of industrial building form as affected by changes in technology.

[摘要] During the most recent period of man's transformation,the cultural evolution, man created many things. Thelatter part of this epoch was dominated by industry, whenman created special structures solely for manufacturingpurposes.The first stage was the Handicrafts or Eotechnic phaseand was charecterlsed by the use of manpower and windand water power. During the second stage, theManufacturing or Paleotechnic phase, man made use ofsteam and electricity. This stage was regarded asfunctional in Europe and mechanised in the USA.The changes in form In these stages follow the samepatterns as the technoloqlcal process, although thepatterns are not unilinear, equal or similar in duration, thefirst stage evolutionary, the second stage morerevolutionary. The changes were predominantly the resultof technical pressures, but to a minor extent also ofeconomical, aesthetical, philosophical and sociologicalpressures. Of late managerial pressures have contributedto the changes as well. A causality is thus revealed inthat the changes in form are a consequence of holisticchanges in these pressures.However, tho nature and essence of the industrial buildingas an enclosed space where something is producedremains constant, whatever the pressures.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand