The Crystal Palace
00:00 - Introduction
That’s a frickin’ cookie. We could do an entire episode on the beautiful construction of the cookie we’re eating. Shoutout to The Cookie Company in Milledgeville, Georgia. (Also, sorry, Mom, for talking with our mouths full).
4:00 - The Crystal Palace - Background
We review the steps that lead to the construction of the Crystal Palace. In 1840, a guy named Henry Cole suggested that England should host a huge event to encourage industrial innovation. He was able to get Prince Albert on board and then Queen Victoria, who put together a council to plan the event.
For some reason, they set a target date that would give them less than a year and a half to design and build the structure that would host the event. After issuing a call for designs, the council decided that not a single one of the 245 submissions was acceptable.
8:42 - Joseph Paxton
Out of nowhere comes the respected architect Joseph Paxton. Wait, did we say architect? Nope. He was a respected gardener. He had designed a massive greenhouse that had caught the queen’s attention.
Paxton was clearly a man of varied interests. (If you’re interested in checking Eddie’s banana claims, you’re welcome to explore this site.)
Here are the specs of the building that Paxton designed:
1851 feet long (apparently in celebration of the year) by 120 wide and 34 high
App. 1 million square feet of glass
3300 Columns
2224 Main Beams
20+ miles of wooden gutters
3800 tons of cast iron (poured into a mold)
700 tons of wrought iron (worked into shape with tools)
Cost: 80,000 pounds - Fully funded by public donations (including a few substantial gifts from the royal family)
27’ tall crystal fountain (the first glass fountain of any substantial size)
By the time Paxton’s design was approved, he had 9 months to complete the construction. He completed it in 5 months.
14:26 - Materials, Technologies, and a Move
The Crystal Palace included elements that were at the cutting edge for their time. One of those was glass in large panes. Check out this video to see what was involved in producing these.
A specially designed wheeled cart enabled workers to install 18,000 panes of glass every week.
After the exposition, the building is taken down piece by piece and rebuilt in Sydenham but with a significantly modified design. (See photos of the reconstruction.)
19:42 - Reflections and Takeaways
We spend some time talking about things we might be able to learn from the Crystal Palace project. Here are a few of our thoughts:
This project was designed and managed by a person with little or no construction training. Construction experience is important, but people skills are just as important. Common sense goes a long way.
Tactful self-promotion–salesmanship–is also important.
The public rallies behind big projects. The Crystal Palace was funded by donations from the public.
It’s important to innovate with materials.
Coming to the table with fresh eyes can lead to innovation.
Focus, sheer determination, and solid deadlines can really motivate.
The constraints we put on ourselves might sometimes be the greatest constraints we face.
Innovation breeds innovation.
Explore a few photos of the Crystal Palace:
-Architectuul.com
-Variety of Pinterest collections (the Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition)
-Photos of the reconstruction
Lee Evey Episodes:
At a couple points in this episode, Tyler refers to two Construction Brothers episodes featuring Lee Evey, who was the program manager for the 1997 renovation of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. You can hear those episodes here: episode 91, episode 92.
Check out the partners that make our show possible.
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening
