Conveners
[BE5] The processes of industrial and technological development in Architecture
- Sung-Yong Kim (Master student in Institute of Industrial Archaeology and History of Science and Technology (IWTG), Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg)
Description
The development of technology began with mankind's fundamental desire to make life more effective and richer. When industrial ideas for mass production and innovative technologies met, this industrial concept revolutionized the whole of Europe, starting in England. The practical industrial system allowed for architectural expression focused on function “Form Follows Function” in architecture that followed existing forms, and formed villages or cities of workers around industrial factories to create innovations that changed the patterns of people's lives. The industrial circumstance is evoked globally, not only in Europe, although the difference in time and product varies by region.
The processes of industrial and technological development is the result of human intelligence accumulated over a long period of time. Therefore, old machines and technologies are not simply outdated ruins, but important stepping stones and heritage for new technologies.
In Europe, since the beginning of the 20th century, "industrial culture" has been recognized as an academic discipline and classified as a valuable cultural heritage to be preserved and managed. In the United Kingdom, in particular, citizens took the first steps toward preserving and systematically managing the evidence of the various technological innovations that emerged during industrialization. In other words, industrial heritage must be researched, documented, preserved and reused for future generations as a testimony to human progress.
The study of industrial culture and industrial heritage, which have emerged from diverse backgrounds, is not possible without multidisciplinary collaboration. For example, ICOMOS, a World Cultural Heritage Advisory Body, and TICCIH, the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage, already actively operate a global network of scholars, engineers and historians engaged in industrial heritage research. Industrial heritage research is very active in many European countries, and Germany is playing a pioneering role in the preservation and utilization of industrial heritage. The Rammelsberg, the Völklingen Ironworks, Zollverein and the Fagus Factory are representative of German industrial culture and are listed as World Heritage Sites. In this area, international exchange between Germany and other European countries is not an option for Korea, but a necessity to discuss this topic.
EKC 2023 is a great starting point for discussions on this topic. By introducing multidisciplinary studies that only industrial heritage offers, through this international conference, experts from different fields in Europe can recognize their fields as industrial heritage values, build networks, share cases and know-how that will be needed in Korea in the future, and provide an important connecting point for cooperation between industry and academia.
Korea is a latecomer when it comes to industrial heritage. However, the scope and history of the Korean industry already hold tremendous potential. Rediscovering industrial heritage through enhanced citizen participation, government support, and industry-academia collaboration will be an important opportunity to elevate the status of the Korean industry. I sincerely hope that EKC 2023 will be the starting point for all these changes.
Around 1800 the establishment of the first cottons mills in Saxony marked the start of the industrial revolution in Germany. In the beginning there was no precise vision what kind of building would be necessary or suitable to house the machinery for the industrial production of spinning cotton. The entrepreneurs and architects involved in the development therefore followed the example of the...
Since the revolution in production through industrialization that began in the 18th century, standardized and rationalized production principles have been applied to architecture. Efforts to build more efficient, high-quality, and affordable buildings were continuously attempted in response to the post-industrial social situation. As urbanization and industrialization intensified, architecture...
Some functional disused industrial facilities are recognized for their "heritage value" and subsequently listed as technical heritages or UNESCO World Heritage Sites, identifying them as industrial heritage.
The object of industrial heritage is considered to encompasses not only the buildings where industrial activities took place, but also, in a smaller sense, the tools and machinery that...
