Publicación: La lógica de la extinción de la arquitectura telefónica
Fecha
2015
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info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
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Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Resumen
La arquitectura ha desempeñado un doble papel en la industria de las telecomunicaciones desde su nacimiento a finales del siglo XIX. Los edificios eran contenedores de equipos eléctricos complejos y caros, pero también una representación de la compañía propietaria. Había un equilibrio difícil y a veces tenso entre las necesidades internas establecidas por el departamento de ingeniería y la apariencia exterior. El arquitecto tenía que manejar los requisitos físicos y económicos de la industria, y al mismo tiempo trabaja en crear fachadas pintorescas. A medida que el servicio telefónico se hizo universal y la tecnología permitió equipos más pequeños, el alma industrial se impuso. Los diseños evolucionaron a cajas puramente funcionales. Los edificios quedaron sin ventanas y sin ningún tipo de decoración. Los proyectos para centrales rurales fueron un paso más allá. Olvidando cualquier conexión con el entorno, un conjunto reducido de pequeños edificios prefabricados se “instaló” por todo el campo. Se diseñaron para ser baratos de construir y mantener y se produjeron en serie como las máquinas que protegían. Cuando la telefonía móvil se extendió la arquitectura prácticamente despareció. Es difícil pensar en los contenedores de equipos móviles como creaciones arquitectónicas aunque todavía lo eran. En la actualidad, el tamaño de los equipos es tan pequeño que se instala en armarios. La lógica industrial llevó a la arquitectura telefónica a la extinción.
The architecture in telecom industry has played a dual role, since its birth in the late nineteenth century. Buildings were containers of complex and expensive electrical equipment but also a representation of the owner company. There was a difficult and sometimes tense balance between the inner space requirements provided by the engineering department and the outer appearance. The architect had to deal with the physical and economy constraints of the industry, but at the same time worked to create scenic facades. As the telephone service became universal and technology made possible smaller equipment the industrial soul overcame. Designs evolved towards pure functional boxes. Buildings were deprived of windows and any kind of decoration. Projects for rural exchanges went a step further. Forgetting any connection with the environment, a reduced set of prefabricated small buildings was “installed” in the countryside. They were designed to be cheap to build and maintain, and were produced in series like the machines they protected. When mobile became widespread, architecture nearly vanished. It is almost impossible to think of mobile phone rooms as architectural creations but they were. Today the size of equipment is so small that it is installed inside cabinets. The industrial logic drove telephone architecture to extinction.
The architecture in telecom industry has played a dual role, since its birth in the late nineteenth century. Buildings were containers of complex and expensive electrical equipment but also a representation of the owner company. There was a difficult and sometimes tense balance between the inner space requirements provided by the engineering department and the outer appearance. The architect had to deal with the physical and economy constraints of the industry, but at the same time worked to create scenic facades. As the telephone service became universal and technology made possible smaller equipment the industrial soul overcame. Designs evolved towards pure functional boxes. Buildings were deprived of windows and any kind of decoration. Projects for rural exchanges went a step further. Forgetting any connection with the environment, a reduced set of prefabricated small buildings was “installed” in the countryside. They were designed to be cheap to build and maintain, and were produced in series like the machines they protected. When mobile became widespread, architecture nearly vanished. It is almost impossible to think of mobile phone rooms as architectural creations but they were. Today the size of equipment is so small that it is installed inside cabinets. The industrial logic drove telephone architecture to extinction.
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Palabras clave
industria de las telecomunicaciones, central telefónica, prefabricado, diseño, extinción, telecom industry, telephone exchange, prefabricated, design, extinction
Citación
Centro
Facultad de Geografía e Historia
Departamento
Historia del Arte