The streamline heralded in a new kind of modernity. The ungainly, smoking engines of the nineteenth century were now obsolete. The new shape was characterized by a closed exterior, the hiding away of loose and projecting components; and curved, flowing lines.
Streamlined design has often been held out as an inevitable outcome of science. This made it the symbol of a new, modern era. It is the representation of progress; a pursuit of continuous improvement and, ultimately, perfection.
Prototypes
Engineers and designers in both Europe and America tried to turn this shiny vision of the future into reality. One of the most influential examples is the ‘Rail Zeppelin’ (1929) by the German engineer Franz Kruckenberg. His effort to combine aeronautical and train technology caused a global furore.
In the United States, the designer Buckminster Fuller presented his famous Dymaxion Car at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The experimental car had a distinctive, elongated shape and a unique steering system based on the rudder of ships. However, this made the car difficult to steer at high speeds.
The eye-catching Schlörwagen (1939) invented by Karl Schlör, another German, had exceptionally little drag, but the car was also hard to steer in a strong wind because of its wing-like shape. The Second World War put an end to its development and the only prototype disappeared.
Flowing form
The flowing streamline shape was not just based on science. This is evidenced by the many artists and architects who used it in a much more artistic way. The German architect Erich Mendelsohn declared that the haste of modern man can only be surpassed by ‘the most perfect speed’. In flowing, smooth lines, he drew buildings that were best viewed from a passing car.
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Historical streamlining books
Much has been and continues to be written about streamlining, the design style as well as the scientific phenomenon. A selection of historical books by curator Tomas van den Heuvel.
Streamlined solar cars
Solar cars need to be as efficient as possible and are therefore completely streamlined. In this video, Luc Evertzen of Solar Team Twente tells you more about the importance of streamlining solar cars.
Streamlined athletes
Cyclist Ellen van Dijk is a seven-time world champion and set the world hour record in 2022. In this video, she elaborates on why streamlining is important to her.
Streamlined animals
In search of the ideal streamline, people often look to nature. But what are we actually talking about when we talk about streamlined animals?
Streamlining and aerodynamic drag
What is a streamline? And what is aerodynamic resistance or ‘drag’?
Future
In our present age of climate upheaval and fuel shortages, reducing air resistance is right back at the top of the design agenda.
Performance
Aerodynamics or hydrodynamics are crucial to speed sports like swimming, cycling, skating, bobsledding and skiing.
Ideal
At its height, the streamlined design was accompanied by certain modern ideals.
Style
It was no coincidence that the streamlined look became so popular in the 1930s.
Icons
New, streamlined vehicles were frequently held out in advertisements as the future of transport. In this way, streamlined trains, cars, aeroplanes and boats assumed an iconic status.
Experiment
Many early experiments set out to compare forms in order to identify the perfect one.
Enchantment
For hundreds of years, a galloping horse was viewed as the epitome of speed. But this would change in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. New inventions like the train, the car and the aeroplane meant that speeds that once seemed fantastical were becoming increasingly possible. This new potential for progress had a huge…
Nature
Learning from nature can still be very useful when it comes to creating aerodynamic designs.
What exactly is streamlining?
The term “streamline” originates from science and engineering, but what is it?
