Steel structuresthe same as with the glass-clad framework -
the creation of an aesthetic which celebrated
the idea of progress, of industrial technology
and of the modern lifestyle which these made
possible - but the method of expression was
more overt. The visual and tactile qualities of
steel became important factors in the aesthetic
make-up of the building.
Again, Mies van der Rohe is one of the
principal exemplars. In the Barcelona Pavilion
of 1929 (Fig. 3.7) the steel columns act in
conjunction with new treatments of traditional
materials, such as marble, to create a new
aesthetic. In the Farnsworth House of 1946-50
(Fig. 3.8) the l-shaped structural elements of a
glass-clad framework are exposed and bring
the visual vocabulary of the engineering
workshop into the world of the country retreat.
The exposure of steel frameworks for
aesthetic reasons was one of the favoured
stylistic devices of the so-called 'high-tech'
architecture of the 1970s and 1980s (Fig. 3.9).
These buildings, which also were frequently
glass-clad frameworks, were visually spectacu-
lar and among the most memorable architec-
tural images of the late twentieth century.
The relationship between the structure and
the architecture in all of these cases was one
of 'structure symbolised'^4 and this way of treat-
ing structure usually had the paradoxical effect
of compromising its technical performance,
because it resulted in structural forms being
manipulated predominantly in accordance with
visual rather than with technical criteria.
Other problems associated with the
exposure of steelwork were those of mainten-
ance of the structure and of fire protection. The
second of these arose only in the case of
multi-storey structures and was the principal
reason why steel structures were rarely
exposed other than in single-storey buildings.
A notable exception was the Centre Pompidou
in Paris, where fairly elaborate fire-protection
systems were provided to ensure that the
steelwork which was exposed on the exterior of
the building would meet the required fire
4 See Section 2.2.Fig. 3.8 The Farnsworth House, Illinois, USA, 1951.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect. The mass-produced
structural steel beam and column I-sections form impor-
tant elements in the aesthetic vocabulary of this building.Fig. 3.9 Sainsbury supermarket, London, England,
1986-89. Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, architects.
Exposed steel structures with exaggerated connections
were one of the prominent features of the 'high-tech' style.
[Photo: E. & F. McLachlan] 57