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Introduction
"When I was a boy I first heard about aluminum. It was a precious metal.... It immediately captured my imagination. For a long time people have been extremely happy to claim heaviness and weight as a virtue and merit of design. I was quite in opposition to the idea that architecture should be measured by the pound or by the ton. On the contrary, I thought that if you could make it extremely light, it would be something of our own.... "
Richard J. Neutra1
While aluminium comprises over eight per cent of the earth's crust and is the most abundant metal,2 it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that an affordable method of extracting the metal from its ore was discovered. The material's combined qualities of light weight, versatility in fabrication, corrosion resistance, and silvery appearance were particularly suited to the new forms of expression sought by twentieth century architects. Original production of the raw material focused in western Europe and North America, but eventually other countries able to mine or purchase bauxite and to provide electric power joined the industry. Architectural aluminium is an international material and its built legacy is both rich and varied. Alumimum has been used for a wide range of applications from nineteenth century castings in the classical tradition to late twentieth century high-strength alloys in space frames. (Figs 1&2).
The world's most renowned modern architects have incorporated aluminium in the design of their buildings: Richard Neutra, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others. These applications include roofing, cladding, structure, doors, windows, ceilings, and interior fittings. Building types include offices, houses, schools, factories, exhibition halls, shops, and others. Among the many significant buildings of the recent past which incorporate aluminium elements are: the Chrysler Building (New York, 1930); the Daily Express Building (London, 193 1 ); the Dymaxion House (Wichita, Kansas, 1946); the Kaufmann residence (Palm Springs, 1948); the United Nations Secretariat (New York, 1950); the Lake Shore Drive Apartments (Chicago, 1952); and the Alcoa Building (Pittsburgh, 1953). However as this is our recent past, the comprehensive architectural history of aluminium remains largely unwritten.
This essay traces the history of aluminium, from the initial laboratory experiments through to its...