ABSTRACT
This chapter returns briefly to Great Britain in the 17th and 18th Centuries and concentrates on the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on how design and construction were carried out at the time It was a pattern that was to be repeated in the United States following the Civil War. The factors which led to this change are summarized and include the growth of an iron industry supported by the use of coal rather than charcoal for smelting, the introduction of the factory system for textile manufacturing and the mechanization of its production, new power sources from steam engines and improved transportation via canals and waterways. The new industrial investors wanted a firm price for their projects and a speedier completion, which led to the beginnings of general contracting. Four sidebars cover contracting methods, the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale and canal construction.
