New Design

A New Design in the Industrial World

After the Second World War, many nations around the world made great economic recoveries. People felt confident and full of adventure. Architects of the 1950s and 1960s designed buildings with unusual shapes to reflect this new confidence. Some buildings have simple geometric shapes, while others look like huge abstract sculptures. 

Many of these structures could not have been built without the invention of a new material called reinforced concrete. A roof of reinforced concrete will bridge a wide room without any other supports in between. Steel and reinforced concrete are so flexible that walls and ceilings can be built into any shape. Sometimes the walls of a room or ceiling were built so they curved away from the people inside the building. This was done to give people a feeling of exhilaration – the spirit of the time in which these buildings were designed and constructed.

A Better Building Material

Reinforced concrete is made by pouring concrete into molds around steel rods or wire mesh. The kind of concrete is no longer brittle, so roof supports can be set farther apart. Concrete reinforced with wire mesh is used to build thin, lightweight ceilings and walls and can be easily molded into any shape desired. The bowl shape of the assembly room in the Palace of the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, is possible because of reinforced concrete.

Manhattan modern buildings. Photo by Elena.

The construction of an innovative building is difficult and often requires new techniques and special building materials. Many unexpected problems arise no matter how careful the advance planning may be. The architects and engineers building the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, faced major obstacles. The design was so innovative that it took several years for engineers to work out a way to actually build it.

Specialists in sound, called acoustical engineers advised on how the chosen building materials would affect the quality of sound. Metal, plastic and glass from around the world was used in the building. Manufacturer designed essential new equipment and construction workers learned new skills to build the Opera House. There were many unexpected costs and delays in construction. The architect's imaginative design became a unique masterpiece, which today is recognized throughout the world.

A Global View

A great building can reflect many different ideas and styles and tells us about the beliefs and values of the people who designed and built it. Ancient buildings around the world looked different because they were shaped by the building materials available. Each material inspired a different construction method People in the forest areas of Europe built in wood. Wood was scarce but stone was plentiful along the Mediterranean coast.