Architectural Design Techniques of Urban Buildings in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

James Dougherty

doi:10.3311/ppar.11830

Abstract

Urban buildings constructed in historic city centers of Europe and America in the late 19th and early 20th Century demonstrate a remarkable consistency of architectural excellence and harmony which can be observed from the large urban forms, down to minute details. The comprehensive system of design principles employed by architects of the time in the creation of these buildings has resulted in urban environments that achieve a very high degree of functionality as well as adaptability to the evolving needs of their modern populations. This essay explores the specific physical design techniques employed by architects of the late 19th and early 20th Century to achieve these remarkable results.

Highlights

A widespread rebirth of walkable city building has been occurring in recent decades
Urban buildings constructed in historic city centers of Europe and America in the late 19th and early 20th Century demonstrate a remarkable consistency of architectural excellence and harmony which can be observed from the large urban forms, down to minute details
The comprehensive system of design principles employed by architects of the time in the creation of these buildings has resulted in urban environments that achieve a very high degree of functionality as well as adaptability to the evolving needs of their modern populations

Summary

Introduction

A widespread rebirth of walkable city building has been occurring in recent decades. Our cities, much dissipated by over-accommodation of the automobile during the last half of the 20th Century, are once again being optimized for pedestrians and other non-automobile modes of transportation.Many lessons for how to reconstitute our cities today have been relearned through the study of the techniques of the great European city builders of the past. Keywords historic architectural façade design techniques, urban buildings, late 19th century and early 20th century

Results

Conclusion