10 buildings that changed how we live

 

1. 1. The Eiffel Tower.

The first on the list is also the most recognisable; the Eiffel Tower.

Built in 1889, the tower was assumed to be unfeasible when it was first proposed. At the very least it was considered an ugly blight on Paris, and was protested against as a result.

Made of wrought iron, the tower moves up to 18cm away from the sun when solar heat expands on side of the tower and bends the entire structure, a natural effect that happens every day.

The building is unique for being largely useless, an enormous monument to industrialism more than anything else. And this constitutes why it was so important – the Eiffel tower was an exploration in engineering and a demonstration of the ability of modern, industrial production.

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2. 2. The Highland Park Ford Plant.

The Highland Park Ford plant (built in 1904) is perhaps the most influential of all buildings in the western world when it comes to modern cities.

The plant was the first place to implement the modern assembly line – it had enough space that a row of cars could be produced sequentially.

This efficient method of reduced production time of a Model T Ford from 728 minutes down to just 93 minutes. It was a revolution in production lead by modern architecture, and it set the benchmark for all kinds of buildings to come. The simple, repetitive skyscrapers of today are, in a way, machines that reorganise human behaviour to make it as efficient as possible, in much the same was as Ford’s plant does.

This method of production allowed Ford to drop the cost of a car from $700 to $350, opening up a much larger market and allowing the booming company to pay its worked almost three times the wage of other unskilled labourers.

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3. 3. The Home Insurance Building.

The Home Insurance Building was constructed in Chicago in 1885. It is largely considered the first skyscraper ever and was the first building to make use of structural steel.

Steel frames have since become the norm for all modern skyscrapers including the tallest, but the method had its origins in this building.

The HIB building has since been demolished.

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4. 4. Robie House.

The Robie House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909 and completely redefined the domestic home space.

The building was typical of the style Wright would eventually be known for: Japanese-inspired, horizontal buildings with big, solid interiors.

It was the first of a purely American style of architecture and it challenged the status quo of comfortable, modest home buildings.

 

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5. 5. The Seagram Building.

The Seagram building is immediately recognisable – even to those who have never seen it before. That’s because it set up a new standard for office buildings that has since been seen a hundred times over.

The building was constructed in 1958, in New York City, and aimed to make the structural components of the buildings apparent. The columns are exposed at the bottom of the building, reminding passersby of the steel frame, but also breaking down the intimidating barrier to entry of other buildings.

Also revolutionary was the way the building was set back on the block, almost 100 feet from the edge of the block. This created a plaza, a semi-public space that encouraged people towards the building.

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6.6. Casa Da Musica.

A lesser known building designed by Rem Koolhaas, this was created in 2005 to house musical productions.

The building represents a balance between technical achievement and architectural flourish. It is neither the severe simplicity of the Seagram building, nor the absurd playfulness of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It balances ability with function.

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7. 7. Walt Disney Concert Hall.

One of the most popular modern buildings is the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry in 2003.

The building pushes against the uptight structure of many other modern buildings, rebelling against the limits of physical construction.

The building excellently recalls both the music that occurs within and the animation for which Disney is renowned.

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8. 8. The Dulles Airport.

The first public airport to cater to jet planes only, the airport was an idealistic leap forward in architecture and design.

A man made lake nearby was dug out to collect rainwater and the dynamic building itself aimed to reflect the trajectory of flight.

It was, and is, a building that was widely respected for the advances it made.

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9. 9. The Shard.

The tallest building in London, the Shard was built in 2012 by Renzo Piano.

It has proven a controversial building, one of a confidently futuristic design.

The building marked a return of an unapologetic style of architecture that had largely been dormant with the recent focus on minimising environmental impacts.

The Shard is part of a larger tendency for big, challenging buildings to be constructed again.

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10. 10. Military History Museum.

Many of the most influential buildings are unaware of their cultural impact until decades later.

This Dresden museum shows an intelligent awareness of its place in history – a soaring shard has been introduced to an historical building. At once reminiscent of a cutting blade, the hull of a ship and the stab of a bayonet, the symbol is an aggressive response to a dark history.

The thin metal aims to represent the transparency of democracy, in stark contrast to Germany’s history of control and fascism.

The new wing also contains a large amount of floor space, despite seeming almost decorative from the front. It’s a very influential cross between existing architecture and intelligent extension.

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