Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … Chicago Fire of 1871 triggered a series of changes (social, political, and technical) which impacted the way buildings are now designed and constructed. Explain!
The Great Chicago Fire generated the first wave of regulations to demand that all buildings be constructed with "fireproof materials such as brick, stone, marble, and limestone. These building materials, much more expensive than wood, are held together by a sticky, strong substance called mortar" that is also fireproof (Schons, "The Chicago Fire of 1871). Although safer, these new materials were more expensive and pushed many poorer people and businesses from the city (as did the increased cost of fire insurance).
When "the slow and expensive process of rebuilding with fireproof materials began," one of the most popular new materials to use was terra cotta, a mixture of sand and clay. The legendary Palmer House of Chicago was made of terra cotta tiles on the roof and a mixture of brick and iron in its walls and foundation. It was advertised as the first 'fireproof' hotel, and the ability to withstand fire became a major selling-point of businesses and houses.
The expense of rebuilding and re-insuring (many policies were destroyed in the fire) also generated the desire to create a new, minimalist approach to architecture to reduce...
"Chicago's architects worked to meet the demands of commercial businessmen. Businessmen preferred plain-looking buildings, because putting on fancy ornaments cost more money" (Schons, "The Chicago Fire of 1871). Thus, the Chicago School of architecture was born. The Chicago school made a virtue of sparseness and simplicity in architecture and elevated it to a great art form.
Q2. Circumstances related to the Chicago Fire created an opportunity for architects and engineers to create a new pallet of materials and methods for design and construction solutions. Aside from the fire, the need for office space in a physically-constrained central business district became a pressing problem across the country. Describe some of the solutions that were developed.
The modern skyscraper was one of the major developments of modern architecture, designed to consolidate businesses into a relatively narrow city area. "The term "skyscraper" was first used during the 1880s, shortly after the first 10 to 20 story buildings were built in the United States. Combining several innovations: steel structure, elevators, central heating, electrical plumbing pumps and the telephone, skyscrapers came to dominate American skylines at the turn of the century" (Bellis, "History of Skyscrapers").
Another innovative…
Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. "History of Skyscrapers." About.com. 9 Dec 2013.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blskyscapers.htm
"Flatiron Building." A&E. History.com. 9 Dec 2013.
http://www.history.com/topics/flatiron-building
25 Jan 2011. 9 Dec 2013. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/news/chicago-fire-1871-and-great-rebuilding/?ar_a=1
Fire Safety Management The purpose of this paper is to explore several key concepts related to Fire Safety Management. Specifically this paper aims to explore the following concepts in greater detail: Fire protection/suppression systems, Building Construction and Exit Drill in the Home (EDITH) and other Home Safety Programs. Fire technology has expanded in recent years, providing for important fire safety management components. This includes construction of more fire retardant buildings and implementation
Unemployment was still very high given the return of so many from the war and the immigration levels of all races. The need for gainful employment and equitable housing was contentious among all the races, but was of coarse most heated amongst the newcomers, who had relatively little social and political connections to ensure their employment or housing opportunity. Within the events of the riot there are several important moments, the
Because the busboy in the Cocoanut Grove fire lit a match in the basement area of the nightclub, the code changes also called for the prohibition on using basement areas for assembly. When firemen did get into the building, they were impeded again by overturned tables. The new code addressed that by ordering that tables be secured to the floor. Limitations were placed on materials that could be used in furnishings to
Great Depression -- Randall E. Parker Albert Hart: Albert Hart's interview in this book opens with a description of his influence on the American economic machinery (72): his highly influential book, Debts and Recovery 1929 to 1937 " ... painstakingly documented and analyzed changes in the structure of the internal debts" of every detail of the U.S. economy, according to the book's author, Randall Parker. The interview also began with
Great Awakening and the Enlightenment The Great Awakening, was not, as many believe a continuous spiritual awakening or revival in colonial America, instead it was a several revivals in a variety of locations (Matthews). However, The Great Awakening is an appropriate name. The new Americans had found their lives much different from their lives in England. In England the communities were compact, but in America people lived in great expanses
These have all been possible as a result of the rapid intervention procedures in place and the specialized training each firefighter has undergone. Indeed, rapid intervention team operations have become the norm and have proven invaluable in almost all situations the fire service handles. But RIT operations have only been institutionalized in the fire service during the last few decades. As McGrail writes in his book Firefighter Operations in High-Rise