The cast iron palm tree columns in the Brighton Royal Pavilion illustrates how the Industrial Revolution influenced architecture. These columns demonstrate the progress in cast iron production, enabling intricate and ornate designs while ensuring structural strength. Cast iron’s versatility and decorative potential left a lasting legacy on the built environment, making it a symbol of the era’s innovation.
I really love this example of a unique cast iron structure!
In Thursday’s lecture, we talked about architecture being viewed as more of a fine art, and I think that these are a really great example of that. These pieces are something that you wouldn’t commonly see in a space and are definitely one of a kind. In addition, looking at the overall space, there isn’t much ornamentation on the walls, making these columns a statement piece of art. Like you said there is also a lot of ornate detailing on these columns, and it’s interesting to compare these to more modern examples of unique and uncommon structural elements.
I agree that one of the most impactful technological advancements during the Industrial revolution was mastering the use of metal work. It resulted in new building types needed as society shifted towards urbanization. As discussed in lecture, at first iron was merely used for its low cost and ease of construction. The skeleton was then covered up by neoclassical design. However by the late 19th century, the new material began to be celebrated for its structural beauty and as seen in the Museum of Natural history there was a push towards beautifying the iron. The palm trees at the Brighton Royal Pavillion are an interesting example that contracts that point from lecture, as they are used as a decorative element not common until much later in the century. The metal worker who made them was clearly celebrating the material and pushing the boundaries of what it was commonly used for: cheap structure. This appears to be an early example of beautifying iron and celebrating the material.
This is such a beautiful building and a unique use of cast iron. The designer really exploited the material in this instance to not only use really slender columns for structure and to define space, but also capitalized on the ability to mold the material into these sculptural palm trees. Not only does cast iron allow for a unique expression but it also was easily replicable without much additional cost, so I am almost surprised that I did not see more of them in other interior photos of the building.
With this in mind, it is also surprising that this approach to “extreme” 3-dimensionality of cast iron columns was not more widely implemented in architecture around the world at this time. As we discussed in lecture, the adoption of cast iron was fairly short due to the misconception that it was fireproof. Without a proper enclosure, the columns pictured above could compromise the integrity of this room which seems like a concern since it is the kitchen– a use that not only has a very real threat of fire, but also is critical to the functionality of the household overall.
In the end, this is an awesomely unique application of cast iron that is part of the holistic story and style of this building. I wonder if our next structural technological innovation period will find a way to use material in a similar application that allows as much freedom in and accessibility to design.