Van Nelle Factory, Rotterdam

A cross between Taylorism and Bauhaus, the Van Nelle factory in Rotterdam, built between 1926 and 1931, is a gigantic factory where tobacco, coffee and tea were processed until the 1980s. The image is not that of a simple building, but that of a great machine, a great liner clad in glass and metal. Entirely glazed façades reveal the internal structure of the buildings, allowing workers to work in daylight. All movement is by sight through the glassed-in staircases and walkways - transparency is both a writing effect and a surveillance tool. Built by architects Jan Brickman and Leen Van der Vlugt, under the supervision of Van Nelle boss Kees Van der Leuw, the factory is the most important and accomplished achievement of the modern movement in industrial architecture.