Containers of indeterminacy: the evolution of four flexible factories by Richard Rogers

Abstract

At the end of the 20^th century, production spaces underwent various transformations during the Third Industrial Revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution. This shift marked the beginning of a new flexible factory model capable of adapting to a constantly evolving sector that required large-scale facilities. In response to the emerging demands of an increasingly technology-driven industry, Richard Rogers has designed four containers of indeterminate character, conceived as completely open-plan spaces. This spatial condition is made possible by the externalisation of both the load-bearing structure and the technical installations, a strategy that adheres to the principle of structural clarity. The explicit display of these systems not only defines the identity of each building, but also forms part of a framework of architectural experimentation aimed at the integration and synthesis of technological innovations. Based on a qualitative historical-comparative approach, this article explores how each of these four factories of technological rhetoric evolved from research on the previous one, tracing their origins to the collaboration between Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, with the Pompidou Center as a key precedent. Furthermore, these projects played a crucial role in shaping the High-Tech movement, embracing a muscular architecture of exposed bones and veins to create open interiors adaptable to any function.