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,heworkedwithdi erent 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,