Industrial Revolution

A significant transition from traditional manufacturing to new manufacturing processes.
Timeline: 1760 – 1840, expanding into the 1930s.
Shift from hand production methods to machine tools and new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes.
Increased use of steam power, exemplified by the Watt Steam Engine.
Transition from bio-fuels (wood) to coal as primary energy source.

Life expectancy pre-Industrial Revolution: Approximately 35-50 years.
Improvements in agricultural practices leading to lower food costs.
Population growth increasing the demand for food and resources.
Industrialization standardized production processes, influencing society.
Textiles became the dominant employer, contributing to sustained income growth.
Economic change noted by economist Robert E. Lucas Jr.: “... for the first time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth.”

1698: First commercial steam engine.
1712: Improved steam engine by Thomas Newcomen.
1760-1785: Further improvements by James Watt.
<1750: Abraham Darby developed Coke Iron, substituting coke for charcoal in iron smelting.
1750: Abraham Darby Junior improved upon Coke Iron technology.
1783: Henry Cort patented the "puddling furnace."

1839: The Bridgewater Foundry, one of the earliest factories with modern layout and material handling system.
Salts textile works at Saltaire, Yorkshire.
Waltham Watch Co., USA.

Built in 1851 by Sir Joseph Paxton.
Demonstrated innovative construction using Iron and Glass.
Featured 92,000 m² of exhibition space, measuring 564 m long and with an interior height of 128 feet (39 m).

Early phase saw a decline in living standards, improving in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Mass migration due to travel possibilities.
Emergence of factory towns, transforming urban living conditions.
Class dynamics evolved with the rise of investors, entrepreneurs, and industrialists challenging traditional nobility.

Development of model towns designed for better worker wellbeing and productivity.
Urban waterfronts served as industrial cores.
Factories were strategically located near railroad and shipping routes.
Dense urban areas led to reduced natural drainage and reliance on underground sewer systems.
Extensive street paving enabled effective cleaning and sanitation initiatives.

Limited access to light and air, resulting in overcrowded living conditions.
2-storey row houses with small backyards and narrow streets in England; often 4-5 storeys in France.
Families often lived in inadequate space, sharing rooms with many others.
Example: 400 Sq Yard site housing 2,795 families (approximately 12,000 people).
Existence of crowded slums with poor drainage systems.

Proposed structure of labor: 8 hours of labor, 8 hours of recreation, 8 hours of rest.

Considerations of: Enclosures, agricultural mortality, fertilizers, and agricultural productivity.
The revolution spurred significant increases in crop production (cotton) and improved trade relations with colonies.
Development of canals and navigable rivers promoted economic growth and trade efficiency.
Expansion of communication networks via roads, railways, and machinery highlighted dependence on raw materials such as coal.

Charles Busby designed Brunswick Town in NC, USA (1726); town lasted until the British army during the American Revolutionary War (1776).
Notable architects include John Nash (Regent’s Park) and Decimus Burton.
The architecture profession expanded, leading to the founding of the Institute of British Architects in 1834.

Rise of 19th-century planning theories emphasizing nature in contrast to industrialization.
Proposals for utopian communities emerged.
Robert Owen, a social reformer, significantly influenced the cooperative movement in the UK.