"Born in the Industrial Revolution, the factory has long been considered like a 'monster' of iron, subjugating the individual to the collective in an act of mass dehumanisation. Turning away from the pure functionality for which it was built, the factory is evolving into an aesthetic space, sometimes transformed into modern lofts or museums. The surprising photographs featured in this work help us rediscover the volume, purity of line, beauty, and stunningly modern architecture of these steel-boned monuments"--P. [4] of cover.