Industrial chimneys – as a potential art object
Authors: Toporkov Volodymyr 
Published: May 2024

Industrial chimneys, due to their functional features, are usually one of the highest structures on the territory of enterprises and their complexes. Viewed from different distances, sometimes very large, chimneys often become the main elements of the silhouette of the building, forming the general appearance of the industrial area and areas of urban development. Insufficient consideration of this fact reduces the aesthetic quality of the construction of enterprises, their complexes and cities as a whole. Together with the building material - brick, the techniques of their decoration, which were used in the construction of domestic chimneys, came into the construction of industrial chimneys. Such techniques include the decoration of the top of the pipe in the form of belts and pilasters, creating the so-called crown. The appearance of the chimneys testified to the designers' attention to aesthetic issues related to this type of construction. Over time, technical progress in construction led to the spread of the construction of industrial pipes from reinforced concrete and metal. The appearance of the pipes changed significantly, as they reflected the properties of other building materials: reinforced concrete and metal. The rough texture of monolithic reinforced concrete gave industrial pipes brutality, but at the same time monumentality (Fig. 3). If single pipes make an impression with their height and shape, then several closely located pipes create the effect of a dense group of structures, bringing order to the general appearance of the industrial complex.
Pipes formed into a group according to the requirements of the production technology add compositional orderliness and metrical balance to the appearance of the enterprise, thus performing a general unifying role in the composition. The role of a group of pipes especially increases when they have a distinct, remarkable appearance due to the metallic shine. A group of several pipes at a certain location in the building, even being surrounded by high-rise buildings, convincingly fulfills the role of a compositional dominant. In certain urban planning conditions, pipes of industrial enterprises become the foreground of urban development, directly influencing its aesthetic qualities. In these conditions, all components of such construction objects become important: height, shape, building material, color, and others. The visual characteristics of modern industrial chimneys were formed not so much as a result of their aesthetic design, but under the influence of engineering and operational requirements and factors. The consequence of this was the underutilization of their compositional and aesthetic potential for improving the appearance of industrial enterprises and zones.
The modern approach to the design of industrial chimneys has largely lost interest in the search for new engineering-compositional and aesthetic solutions for this type of engineering structures. Although at the first stages of the development of pipe construction, more attention was paid to such issues.
The functional-spatial structure of a metal industrial pipe with a supporting frame consists of two main elements: the pipe itself for the removal of gases or smoke and the supporting structure. These components form the main visual characteristics of the building. The constructive solution of these components and their compositional interaction determine the aesthetic qualities of an industrial pipe.
If the metal pipe does not have a supporting structure, then its surface is clearly visible and it can be used to apply an image, color composition, etc. Many approaches to the style and color of painting on the surfaces of industrial pipes will make it possible to turn them into an art object noticeable in the architectural environment (Fig. 7a). The second component of the industrial pipe – the supporting structure, has another potential, which is related to its spatial structure. The use of a spatial structure with different shapes of cells allows you to significantly diversify the appearance of chimneys (Fig. 7b). In addition, solving the problem of finding new formal solutions for industrial pipes is possible due to the expansion of structural schemes with different visual characteristics (Fig. 7c). The supporting structure can be decided in a certain architectural style, for example, deconstructivism (Fig. 7d).
Thus, the main areas of search for new formal solutions for industrial smoke pipes and diversification of their appearance can be attributed to: wider use of color; expanding the types of structures to support metal pipes; expansion of the nomenclature of building materials.
Conclusions. Chimneys have existed for a long time, and during these times, not so much the principle of their operation, but the dimensions, have changed. This especially applies to industrial pipes. They reached a height of hundreds of meters and became unique engineering objects. The large size of industrial pipes turned them into visually important building elements. Industrial chimneys are structures capable of significantly influencing the aesthetic qualities of both industrial enterprises and the architectural environment. However, the attention of architects and designers to this type of construction is clearly insufficient. This is confirmed by the depressing monotony of their appearance. This is not fair, considering their visual and compositional potential in the architectural environment. Increasing the attention of architects and designers to this type of industrial building will contribute to the general improvement of the aesthetic qualities of the construction of industrial enterprises, their complexes and the entire architectural environment.