buildings. Wild flowers and creepers are also quick to
colonise waste areas and these can provide an attractive
foil to the straight lines of factory buildings. Try not to
ignore the presence of nature – the odd weed or
sprouting willow can add a welcome air of tranquility or
contradiction to the sketch. Nature is also good at giving a
sense of scale to the drawing. A typical industrial scene
has an inhuman scale and though this is one of the
charms of the subject, a few weeds (and even the
occasional factory worker) will immediately establish the
size of what has been drawn. The contrast in scale and
texture between the built and natural elements makes not
only attractive sketches, but is instructive of the
connected role of townscape and landscape within our
cities.
While buildings and cities are densely inhabited, many
industrial scenes appear unpopulated. Instead fork-lift
trucks, lorries and railway wagons tend to occupy the
spaces between buildings. Since they are important
elements in most of our functional landscapes, their
presence cannot be ignored. In many cases the style of
the structures is reflected in the design or detail of the
means of transport. Hence in dockland areas the wharves
and cranes have features in common with the ships, and
in factories the conveyor belts share a visual language
with aspects of the buildings.
Sketching the structure of the industrial landscape has
arguably more lessons to teach the designer of buildings
or objects than more conventional architectural subjects.
The lessons are best learnt through the sketchbook, but
in addition the drawings themselves can be of great
power and interest.16.2 (opposite)
Coal mines (here at Chislet
Colliery in Kent) can be a
collection of bold abstract
shapes grouped into sculptural
assemblies in open landscapes.
They too offer lessons in
architectural composition and
construction.
16.3 (right)
This mechanical grab displays
the muscular qualities of much
industrial design.Machinery, function and modernism 135