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Conservatories - History and Future

Fri 17 Apr 2009 - 07:36

Conservatories - History and Future
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sunil_Punjabi]Sunil Punjabi

A conservatory is variously referred to as a greenhouse, a dwelling in which plants are arranged for display, a smaller building attached to a building, a three-season dwelling, a building of see-through walls, a transparent home, nature's mirror, sunroom, or glass palace. All these descriptions are true of the term conservatory and simply describe the different ways in which they are used and the different attributes. The word is also defined as a place for preserving anything from loss, decay, waste, or injury; particularly, a greenhouse for preserving exotic or tender plants. And this is the definition that describes its evolution, for it has been a place of storage to start with, and the word 'conserve' even today means to preserve and safeguard. The construction of conservatories originated as an addendum to the main house for storage purposes, and over the years evolved into something beautiful and elegant, and was put to varied uses.

Historically, conservatories are traced to the seventeenth century and the earlier ones were simple stone structures. These were used to keep exotic plants protected from the ravages of weather, to ensure that they flourished properly. The word conservatory is even today used to describe a place designed to protect and display plants. The structures of the seventeenth century evolved fast, for the wealthier trading community had the interest and wherewithal to develop these structures into beautiful buildings. They loved the plants that they brought home during their travels to different countries, and liked to be in the vicinity of these plants in a protected environment. Their interest gave the much needed spur for these conservatories to become structures that were a comfort zone and visual delight. In England, 1845 saw the relaxation of a tax levied on glass. This made glass cheaper and thenceforward glass started to be used more and more in the construction of greenhouses, thereby bringing these structures into their present day design.

The primordium of today's conservatories can perhaps be seen in Great Britain's larger-than-life building called the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace was designed in 1851 to hold a mammoth exhibition showcasing Britain's technological advancement. The building contained within itself a huge park of trees and plants and water spouts and statues. The Crystal Palace served the country loyally in several ways till it was destroyed by a fire in 1936. But the idea of this glass building never lost its charm and those who could afford it continued to build conservatories in their backyards.

Towards the last quarter of the twentieth century, improved construction techniques, and availability of material better suited for construction of conservatories gave an added momentum to its construction. Lightweight and strong glazing materials like polycarbonate, improved insulation methods, availability of an extensive range of strong glass varieties for walls and roofs, do-it-yourself conservatory building kits, and above all increased wealth in the hands of people, are continuously giving impetus to building these sunrooms. The trend is not likely to suffer a setback anywhere in the near future.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunil_Punjabi http://EzineArticles.com/?Conservatories---History-and-Future&id=2219176


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