Determining factors for the architectural development of factory buildings in Budapest between 1860 and 1918

Abstract

The advent of factory building as a construction task in the 19th century was an international phenomenon and soon determined the silhouette of whole cities and landscapes. An understanding of historic factory buildings cannot be obtained solely through the visual approach - albeit these buildings often have their own aesthetic qualities and make a strong graphic expression. In Budapest, it was mainly the food and engineering industries that shaped industrial development in the period under investigation. Identifying the complex factors that led to the construction of this type of building is the first step towards gaining an understanding of such architecture. Technical innovations, new forms of factory organisation, and novel developments in the production process exerted a formative influence on the internal layout of these buildings. The manner in which power was transmitted also served to determine building structures. It should be noted that a factory is established through the combination of machinery and an organised flow of production. At the turn of the century, American models of factory organisation exerted the primary influence on the construction of factories in Europe. At the same time, the transition from traditional craft industries to modern modes of industrial production also resulted in the development of new types of buildings.