DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Origins of the Mass Production of Housing through the Prefab and Its Expansion in the United States - Focusing on a Case Study of Robert Gilmore LeTourneau -

20세기 초, 중반 미국에서 조립식 대량생산 주택의 기원과 확장 - 로버트 길모어 르투니어의 사례를 중심으로 -

  • 서명수 ((미)플로리다대학 건축학과)
  • Received : 2016.09.01
  • Accepted : 2016.11.09
  • Published : 2016.11.30

Abstract

This research explores the origins of prefabricated housing (prefab) in the United States from the early to mid-20th century and its expansion not only throughout the United States, but also into the mass production of housing in other countries. Prefab appeared not only as a way to address the need for more houses after the World Wars, but also as a result of the desire for a new life in modern times. Moreover, prefab housing is strongly related to the development of greater mechanization and industrialization which enables mass production in housing. However, the beginnings of such mechanization and industrialization in architecture did not emerge abruptly in modern times, but had its origins in other movements, such as CIAM (Congrès internationaux d'architecture moderne), the International Style, and others in Europe before the 20th century. Through these processes, mechanization and industrialization were adapted to the architecture of the United States in the early 20th century, and this process played an important role in changing modern life in America, especially with respect to mass production in housing. In addition, adopting mechanization in architecture helped to overcome the shortage of housing in the mid-20th century. In order to identify the origins of this process, this research scrutinizes the beginning of mechanization and industrialization in Europe and traces how these ideas were adopted in the United States. Moreover, this research explores a pioneering engineer, Robert Gilmore (R.G.) LeTourneau, who introduced the idea of the machine in America's housing improvement through his inventions, such as the "steel panel system" and the so-called "Tournalayer" machine. In this sense, this research helps to identify the essence and origins of prefabricated housing through the example of America's prefabricated buildings. This research also suggests that the example of the United States influenced the mass production of housing in other countries.

Keywords

References

  1. Arendt, H. (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 144.
  2. Baldwin, J. (1999). About Fuller-Dymaxion House, Buckminster Fuller Institute. Retrieved July 20, 2016 from   https://www.bfi.org
  3. Bemis, A. (1934). The Evolving House, vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press, 334.
  4. Choisy, A. (1899). Histoire de l'architecture (History of Architecture) 2 vols. Paris, Gauthier-Villars, 193.
  5. Colquhoun, A. (2002). Modern Architecture. Oxford, University Press, 58.
  6. Conrads, U. (1970). Programs and Manifestoes on 12) Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Henderson for his support through the development of this work. I received invaluable feedback on this essay from anonymous peer reviews of the Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning and Design. 20th-century Architecture. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press, 110.
  7. Corbusier, L. (1960). Towards a New Architecture. Tans. Frederick Etchells, UK, Hartnolls Ltd.
  8. Dick, L. (1985). R.G. Talks About…: The Industrial Genius, Practical Philosophy, and Christian Commitment of Robert G. LeTourneau (1888-1969), LeTourneau One Way Series. Longview, Texas, LeTourneau University Press, 26.
  9. Draper, P. (2004). Reassessing Nikolaus Pevsner. Burlington, England, Ashgate.
  10. Frampton, K. (1992). Modern Architecture: A Critical History. London, Thames & Hudson, 51.
  11. Gidion, S. (1967). Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 696.
  12. Graff, R., Matern, R., & Williams, H. (1947). The Prefabricated House: A Practical Guide for the Prospective Buyer. Garden City, New York, Doubleday and Company, Inc., v, 10, 114-121.
  13. Hall, T. (1999). Habitats/Lighthouse Hill, Staten Island; A Landmark 1959 Home With All the Wright Stuff. The New Work Times.
  14. Henderson, E. (2015). The Machine and the Craftsman in Modern American Architecture: Tournalayer Housing in the 1940s. (Ph.D. Dissertation) Gainesville, Florida, University of Florida, 34, 84, 101, 182.
  15. Henderson, E. (2011). TournaTalk (blog). Retrieved June 15, 2016 from https://tournatalk.wordpress.com/
  16. Hitchcock, H., & Johnson, P. (1932). The International Style: Architecture Since 1922. New York, W.W. Norton & Co..
  17. Kim, S., & Park, Y. (2008). The Current of Modern Architecture. Seoul, Kimoondang, 27.
  18. LeTourneau, R. Inc. (1937). Air Sketch of Magnetic All Steel Colony. Now, 2(27).
  19. LeTourneau, R. Inc. (1942). Tournapull Apart-Home (plan). Now, 6(39).
  20. Pevsner, N. (1949). Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius. New York, Museum of Modern Art, 18.
  21. Selby, R. (1971). Earthmovers in World War II: R. G. LeTourneau and His Machines. (Ph.D. Dissertation) Cleveland, Ohio, Case Western University.
  22. Sisson, P. (2016). A Look at Frank Lloyd Wright's Little Known Prefabs. Dwell.
  23. Sullivan, L. (1896). The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered. Lippincott's Magazine, 403-409.
  24. Upton, D. (1998). Architecture in the United States. New York, Oxford University Press, 169-171.
  25. Viollet-le-Duc, E. (1868). Dictionnaire Raisonne de L'architecture Francaise du XIe au XVIe Siecle (Dictionary of French Architecture from the 11th to 16th Century). Paris, B. Bance, A. Morel, 1: 61.
  26. Wright, F. (1954). The Natural House. New York, Bramhall House, 20.
  27. Wingler, H., & Stein, J. (1986). The Bauhaus: Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, Chicago, Cambridge. Massachusetts, The MIT Press, 76, 240.