Column: Crystal Palace Construction and Its Subsequent Years

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition initially planned to construct a huge brick structure. However, the design was very unfavorably received; it was too huge and oppressive. As a result, a design by J. Paxton, who had designed many greenhouses, was employed. His design featured the use of iron and glass, both of which were latest technologies in those days. Also, he used a prefabrication construction method, in which structure components pre-fabricated in a factory were assembled at the construction site. Thus, his design truly embodied a new era. This beautiful structure was nicknamed Crystal Palace by Punch. After the end of the exposition, the structure was relocated to Sydenham, in the suburbs of London. As a botanical garden, museum and concert hall, it was loved by the general public, but in 1936, it was destroyed by a fire. Today, the site of the structure has been converted into a park.

References:

Hashizume, Shinya.: Bankoku bikkuri hakurankai: Banpaku o 100bai tanoshimu hon (Daiwa shobo, 2005) <D7-H48>
Kyushima, Nobuaki.: 'Banpaku' hatsumei hakken 50 no monogatari (Kodansha, 2004) <D7-H45>
Matsumura,Masaie.: Suishokyu monogatari (Chikuma shobo, 2000) <D7-G58>
Yoshida, Mitsukuni.: Bankoku hakurankai: Gijutsu bunmeishiteki ni Revised ed. (Nihon hoso shuppan kyokai, 1985) <D7-67>

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