Draft

7.8TheModernPeriod (1857-Present) 151

88 Hisfamousaxiom,Formfollowsfunctionbecamethetouchstoneformany in hisprofes-

sion.Sullivan,however,didnotapplyit literally. Hemeant thatanarchitectshouldconsider

thepurposeof thebuildingas a startingpoint, notas a rigidlylimitingstricture.

89 Healsohadtremendousrespectforthenaturalworldwhich playedan enormousrolein

forginghistheoriesaboutarchitecture(hespent allof his rstsummersonhisgrandparents'

farmin Massachusettswherehedevelopedthislove andrespectfornature)expressedin his

Autobiographyof anIdea), 1924).

7.8.4 Roebling,1806-1869

90 JohnAugustusRoeblingwas anAmericancivilengineer, whowasoneof thepioneers

in theconstructionof suspensionbridges. Hewas bornin Germany, educatedat the Royal

PolytechnicSchool of Berlinandimmigratedto theStatesin 1831.

91 Inhis rstjobhewas employed by thePennsylvaniaRailroadCorp. to surveyitsroute

acrosstheAllegheny MountainsbetweenHarrisburgandPittsburgh. Hethendemonstrated

thepracticability of steelcablesin bridgeconstructionandin 1841establishedat Saxonburg

the rstfactoryto manufacturesteel-wirerope in theU.S.

92 Roeblingutilized steelcablesin theconstructionof numeroussuspensionbridges andis

generallyconsideredoneof thepioneersin the eldof suspension-bridgeconstruction. He

builtrailroadsuspensionbridgesover theOhioandNiagarariversandcompletedplansforthe

BrooklynBridgeshortlybeforehisdeath. Roeblingwas theauthorof LongandShortSpan

Railway Bridges(1869).

7.8.5 Maillart

From (Billington1973)

93 RobertMaillartwas bornon February6, 1872,in Bern,Switzerland,wherehisfather,a

Belgiancitizen,was a banker.Hestudiedcivilengineeringat theFederalInstituteof Technology

in Zurich andgraduatedin 1894.Ironically, oneof hislowestgradeswas in bridgedesign,even

thoughhe is regardedtoday as oneof thehalfdozengreatestbridgedesignersof thetwentieth

century.

94 For eight yearsfollowinghisgraduation,heworkedwithdierent civilengineeringorgani-

zations. In 1902,hefoundedhisown rmfordesignandconstruction;thereafter,hisbusiness

grewrapidlyandexpandedas faras RussiaandSpain. In thesummerof 1914,hetookhis

wifeandthreechildrento Russia.SincetheWorldWar preventedtheirreturnto Switzerland,

Maillartstayed andworked in Russiauntil 1919,whenhisbusinesswas liquidatedby theRev-

olution.Forcedto
ee,he returnedto Switzerlandpennilessandlonely, hiswifehavingdiedin

Russia.

95 Becauseof thesemisfortunesMaillartfeltunableto take uptheconstructionbusinessagain

andhenceforthconcentratedon designalone. Heopenedan ocein Geneva in 1919and

branchesin BernandZurich in 1924.

96 Duringthetwentieshebeganto developandmodifyhisideasof bridgedesign;andfrom

1930,whentheSalginatobel andLandquartBridgeswerecompleted,until hisdeathin 1940,