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With increasing pollution levels, depleting resources and shrinking spaces, architectural innovations have become a much required and a crucial step towards a futuristic world. Concepts like the electric train, skyscrapers etc. which were termed as the wildest imaginations of crazy scientists and architects have become a reality today. With fast paced technology aided innovations, architects and engineers are constantly working towards being a part of the next world changing innovation.
Here are some of the milestones in architecture that changed the world:
Concrete – The durability and enduring aspects of this magic material has changed the way architecture worked. The Colosseum and The Pantheon, two of the very ancient buildings stand testimony to the wonder that concrete is. There is significant difference between the ancient Roman recipe for concrete which used slaked lime and volcanic ash and today’s stronger version of concrete. Then came the invention of reinforced concrete, where it was used along with twisted steel bars rendering it stronger and flexible allowing the dawn of a new era in architecture, paving the way for concepts such as skyscrapers which were thought to be only dreams of an architect.
The Elevator – With the invention of reinforced concrete and skyscrapers, the need for the elevator cannot be understated. Although lifts existed in ancient time in Rome, manually operated by ropes, they were unstable and unsafe. The first elevator was successfully brought into being by Elisha Otis in New York in the year 1853 paving way for architects engineer buildings of greater heights. This revolutionized architecture and the way modern buildings were constructed.
CAAD – Computer Aided Architectural Design became undoubtedly a major milestone in architecture as it enabled virtual creation of efficient designing and engineering of modern buildings with computer aided software.
It replaced the designs created with pen and paper and effortlessly so. Modern architectural marvels such as the Burj Khalifa and Sydney Opera House would not been a possibility without the excellence of CAAD.
Construction site robots – What’s a great architectural plan if it is not aided by the power to execute it? The modernization of architecture calls for the use of robots alongside manpower to execute the dreams and designs of an architect possible. Semi-automated mason (SAM), the brick laying robot working alongside human masons, the autonomous truck loader which uses GPS to guide itself around construction sites and many other machine-controlled loaders, graders etc. are examples of these efficient robots which increase productivity and reduce physical strain.
Recycled projects – Beginning with the use of recycled rubber along with asphalt as a mixture of laying roads, recycling as a concept has revolutionized architecture in the sense that it lowered material costs, reduced landfill waste while not compromising on the quality of construction. There are proposals in pipeline which can bring about roads constructed with recycled plastic turned into LEGO-like blocks that snap together.
3D printing – A concept that would have only been an architect’s dream decades ago, is a. reality now. This technology of visualizing and designing 3D models and structures has its advantages in the sense that these models require only the amount of cement that will be used for building the structure, thus lowering carbon-di-oxide emissions and lessening waste. This also made possible designing structures that were previously only possible with Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) movies.
With the evolving world and increasing needs for better spaces to live and work, constant upgrades in the way modern architecture works becomes imperative. What is only a dream today, will surely become a reality tomorrow with such marvelous innovations in architecture and engineering.
