Structure
The
strength, color and shape of the materials that we use to build each
affect the color and shape of buildings. The materials also affect
the way we construct a building.
A
brick building tells us how it was put together by the
mortar that holds the bricks in place and the way the bricks are laid.
Concrete buildings are made by using molds called "forms." Concrete
is poured into the forms, it hardens, and the forms are removed, which
explains why concrete buildings have curves and bends and a variety
of different shapes.
Steel,
which is strong without taking up much space, allows us to build tall
structures, such as the Empire State Building or the PSFS Building
in Philadelphia. Recently, we have learned to produce large sheets
of glass at reasonable cost, changing the appearance of buildings.
Picture windows, sliding glass doors, and glass-faced shyscrapers
did not exist 50 years ago.
The
physical environment influences building materials. Hurricanes
and salt air will make a builder use different materials on a beach
house than a house in the desert or mountains. In an earthquake region
we try not to create walls that could crack or crumble as brick does,
which is why so many houses are made of wood in San Francisco.
Adapted
from Our Man-Made Environment - Book 7
by: Levy, Chapman & Wurman
