=1.= The requirements of the modern factory building are many, and
demand the careful attention of the architect in their planning and
construction. There are probably more rules and regulations imposed
by the state and local governments and by the Insurance Underwriters,
regulating the construction of this class of buildings, than for
buildings of any other character.
The laws imposed by the governments under whose jurisdiction the
building is to be erected, are framed manifestly for the protection of
the health and safety of the occupants of the building, and so as not
to jeopardize their lives in case of fire or panic, or the lives of
those engaged in the attempt to save the structure and prevent damage
to the adjoining property.
The Underwriters, or the Association of Insurance Companies, have
compiled numerous rules and regulations of which the architect planning
the building must take cognizance if he desires to secure a reasonable
rate of insurance on the building and its contents for the owner. Not
only do these rules and regulations deal with the structural design of
the building, but they consider the apparatus for protection in case
of fire, and such installations as the electric wiring. The architect
must be familiar with all these requirements in order to intelligently
and practically design industrial plants.
There are, also, many factors essential to the utilitarian and economic
operation of the building entering into the design of the modern
factory, to which the architect must devote careful study. Among
the most important of these are the economic receiving, shipping,
elevation, and transportation of merchandise; the proper and adequate
lighting of the building; the location and planning of the power
plant for the building, together with the engineering problems of
construction, which include the design of the floor, columns, and walls
for the loads to which they are subjected.