The Great Exhibitions

The Great International Exhibitions With the advent of the industrial revolution, new inventions helped to suit the production requirement. Hence exhibitions were conducted in several countries to display the new discoveries side by side and thus to facilitate their comparison and adoption. These exhibitions in turn accelerated the development of industries. These exhibitions offered opportunities for creative architecture. Two periods are noted in the history of exhibitions: First period – 1798 to 1849 – they were conducted solely in Paris. Second period – later half of the 19th century – they became international in scope.

Characteristics of the exhibitions They were meant to be temporary and hence called for rapid erection and dismantling – both facilitated by the use of iron. They were trial grounds for new methods and demanded new aesthetic responses They symbolized the optimism to unite the entire world through free trade, free communication, improvement in production and performance through free conception They originated from old fairs hence the first French exhibition in 1798 and all other later exhibitions retained a festive motif

The Great exhibition, London 1851 The crystal palace was designed by Joseph Paxton The method of construction used was serial production The structure was a combination of wood iron and glass Ridge and Furrow construction was adopted It was planned around the largest sheet of glass available at the time which was only 4 ft long The whole building was made from a system of pre fabricated units within a time frame of 6 months Its length was 1848 feet The area achieved was square feet

The Universal Exhibition, Paris 1855 The Palais del industries A rectangular structure with high central aisle surrounded by double row of galleries Low side aisles were supported by numerous cast iron pillars Tie bars were avoided by the use of buttresses Emphasis was on the opening up of space. Hence enormous areas of glass was used. This resulted in excessive lighting of the interior almost blinding the spectator The other building was the Hall of machines

The Paris exhibition of 1867 The main building was elliptical in shape Inside the main building 7 concentric galleries were placed which increased in size towards the outside The gallery of machines was twice the height and width of others Hydraulic lifts were used for vertical commutation The Paris exhibition of 1878 Consisted of two buildings – A monumental building in stone and a main exhibition building The main building comprised of a series of galleries placed parallel flanked by the hall of machines

The Paris exhibition of 1889 This saw new conceptions in construction and new advances in industry Centered around the Eiffel tower - constructed in 17 months All other buildings were spread out behind the tower

The Gallery of machines It was in the background with smaller exhibits in the front The structure was composed of 20 trusses with glass walls enclosing the sides forming a true iron vault Arched girders rested directly on the floor without any column support through a hinged joint which allowed foundation movements without structural collapse

The Eiffel tower Height 1000 feet designed as 3 stages Support were four pylons anchored to separate foundations Elevators are used to reach the various stages of the tower apart from a series of spiral staircases. Aesthetic reaction – It was considered a ugly monster initially but gained acceptance and appreciation over a period of time