Sven Bylander (1877–1943) was a Swedish engineer who created steel reinforced buildings, designing some of the first steel-framed buildings in London. His frames included the Ritz Hotel and

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...

Department Store, which were two of his most memorable works. His standardization methods were instrumental in development of the LCC (General Powers) Act 1909.

Biography

Sven Bylander was born in 1877 in Sweden. He learned about steel in a shipyard and incorporated that knowledge into buildings beginning in Germany and the US. He arrived in London in 1902 and was employed by the Waring White Building Company. Prior to Bylander, British building codes and methods of using steel and concrete were haphazard and described by colleagues as consisting of "builders, in using steelwork in building simply piled one piece on top of another, stuck a few bolts in and called it constructional steelwork". The methods he brought to Britain and the influence of

Harry Gordon Selfridge Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr. (11 January 1858 – 8 May 1947) was an American retail magnate who founded the London-based department store Selfridges. His 20-year leadership of Selfridges led to his becoming one of the most respected and wealthy ...

and the

Concrete Institute The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...

led to the passing of the LCC (General Powers) Act 1909, also called the Steel Frame Act which for the first time, regulated construction of steel-reinforced structures. Between 1904 and 1905, Bylander was hired as structural engineer for the architects

Charles Mewès Charles-Frédéric Mewès (30 January 1858 - 9 August 1914) was a French architect and designer. Biography Born in Strasbourg, Alsace in 1858, Charles Frédéric Mewès grew up a Parisian after his family fled the Prussian invasion and annexat ...

and Arthur J. Davis of Mewès and Davis, in the building of the Ritz Hotel, London's first important steel-framed building. The building attracted daily press notices on its progress and the innovations Bylander used, from his standardized drafting methods, to the numbering system of parts, to the cranes used to lift the steel beams into place. In 1906, he was hired by

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

, lead architect on the project, to assist with fireproofing and design of the structure to be built for Selfridges Department Store in London. Bylander found a warehouse in the Docklands district, made plans and contacted the

Metropolitan Buildings Office The Metropolitan Buildings Office was formed in 1845 to regulate the construction and use of buildings in the metropolitan area of London, England. Surveyors were empowered to enforce building regulations which sought to improve the standard of h ...

. By 1907 his plan was approved and construction commenced finishing a year and a half later. Between 1908 and 1911 he built the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey. Both provide accommodation and a range o ...

(RAC Club) with architects Mewès and Davis and in 1919 he designed the Bryant and May Factory in Liverpool, which is believed to be the earliest flat concrete slab construction in Britain. The

Ravenscourt Park Hospital The Royal Masonic Hospital was a hospital in the Ravenscourt Park area of Hammersmith, west London, built and opened in 1933. The Grade II* listed building became the Ravenscourt Park Hospital in 2002, but this closed in 2006. As of May 2015 t ...

, built in 1933, was the largest independent hospital in Europe when it was built and Bylander designed not only its steel frame, but the semi-circular cantilevered sun balconies as well. He died 9 October 1943 in London.

Legacy

Bylander's sketches and designs are still in use. The firm Bylander (2000) Ltd. evolved from the firm founded by Sven Bylander.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres Bylander, Sven 1877 births 1943 deaths Swedish engineers Structural engineers Swedish expatriates in the United Kingdom