techno time

In a city like Amsterdam, that is very old, history can be seen from the way houses were build.
Each epoch had its own style of architecture.

Buy another force imposed its presence on houses in Amsterdam.
Not related to fashion, taste and culture.
The technical revolutions that washed over the city.

Like in the houses build in the 1800's.
At the time, electrical light didn't exist in buildings.
Houses were lighted by natural gas.
Like the Coleman lamp used for camping now: a socket into which natural gas is blown and lighted.
In houses pipes were guided to the ceiling from which gas lamps were hanging.
And in some houses in Amsterdam those pipes for natural gas can still be seen.

And one can see that electricity came to the houses later.
The metal pipes in which were the wires covered by cotton were put on the walls later.
Not inside the walls during the construction of the house like in more modern buildings.

History can also be seen in Amsterdam houses from the way they were heated.
Originally people used stoves and therefore needed chimneys and fireplaces.
This system for heating was used even in the 1930's and 1940's.
Only after the Second World War central heating was introduced and chimney's and smoke canals were not needed anymore.
Therefore one can see in rooms in older Amsterdam houses the locations where the heaters once were put.
Like in the house currently used.
In the large living room two chimney canals can be seen and the two openings for coal or gas heaters.





Some day even the central heating and its radiators may not be needed anymore.
And what about the electrical light as we know now?
Maybe a house in the future has heat and light radiating from the walls and ceiling.
You may laugh.
As they did when electricity was introduced for the first time...




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