The Sims 4 Industrial Architecture: From Inspiration to Replication

I would consider myself a keen builder in the Sims 4. More and more I have been gravitating towards industrial architecutre. It is a particular favourite style of mine and one many are likely to be familiar with. Factories, warehouses and power plants are all typical examples of industrial architecture.

Now, this factory isn’t any old factory. This is a biscuit factory. For any Americans, it is a cookie factory. Still, as I’m from the UK and my inspiration calls it this, it will be referred to as a biscuit factory.

History

Industrial architecture typically references buildings that were built either during or after the Second Industrial Revolution. The revolution occurred due to a surge in new materials such as lighter metals and plastics. It was also due to the devotion to turning raw materials into finished products in the most efficient way possible.

The second revolution would also go on to inspire the modernism movement as it transformed the way structures were built. Architects and builders had more access to materials and construction methods, which allowed them to dream big and build even bigger.

However, during the mid-20th century in America, many factories were closed. This was due to the Great Depression and the economic hardship that it caused. The result of which led to the closure of many businesses and factories.

Pre-1960s, SoHo was a manufacturing district. However, as prices began to rise in New York, factories that weren’t closed moved out to cheaper facilities. This led to SoHo becoming nearly abandoned, giving it the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres.”

But hope was not lost for SoHo as artists began to move into the buildings. With tall ceilings and lots of natural light, they were ideal for creating art. The conversion to studios and lofts began.

Present Day

Today, we are all too familiar with loft conversions and industrial studio apartments. They are no longer only for artists and have become a popular interior design/real estate trend.

It’s all about urban living and “city-chic” as it’s marketed. But it’s not just residential. Plenty of offices and commercial spaces also use old industrial buildings and convert them.

The buildings are cheaper than buying a specific space or building from scratch, so they have become popular real estate throughout the world.

It’s also due to progressive architects who believe in the adaptability of buildings. Instead of knocking down old factories to build a new block of offices, it’s cheaper and more sustainable to renovate what you already have.

Features

Industrial archtitecture is charactised by it’s impressive features. These include:

• Big, open floor plans
• High ceilings
• Materials such as concrete, brick and metal
• Simple facades
• Distressed finishes
• Exposed brick, ductwork and piping
• Large, metal grid windows
• Natural light

Industrial architecture tends to be a combination of functionality and design. This is a result of prominent modernist architects adopting the phrase “form follows function”, which is seen throughout contemporary industrial architecture.

The Sims 4 Replication

Now, in The Sims 4, we have a great number of items that lend themselves to industrial design. Even in the last expansion pack, The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies, Nordhaven comes with its very own industrial district, Iverstad. This is a mostly converted/repurposed district, which is the norm in the present day.

However, packs like The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff Pack and The Sims 4 Industrial Loft Kit are both wholely focused on industrial architecture. Moschino has gorgeous metal-grid windows which look perfect on a faux warehouse. 

The industrial loft kit is more focused on interiors, but does come with a nice rounded-metal window that pairs well with the Moschino items.

Finally, The Sims 4 Werewolves Gamepack completes the industrial design packs. I find myself nearly always using the brick wallpaper to decorate the exterior of a factory. Pair that with the metal roof and fences, and it has that run-down, abandoned look. 

Now, for building in this style, I tend to gravitate to more Pacific North West (PNW) themed worlds, such as Moonwood Mill, because to me the brick colouring meshes well with the landscaping. For this build, I decided to choose San Myshuno due to the origin of industrial lofts.

My inspiration for the idea was based on the National Biscuit Company, situated on the Chelsea Piers in New York City. The Chelsea Piers are a series of piers on the Hudson River in NYC. While the physical building wasn’t my inspiration, I liked the idea of building a factory on the waterfront, so I picked a 30×30 lot in the docklands of the spice district.

I went quite a typical route for the facade with simple brick and metal windows. The shape was perhaps a little unusual, but I decided that this was a small biscuit factory that was likely already on its last legs when built.

I used TOOL (a mod by TwistedMexi) to add more factories in the background to blend mine in and make it feel as though it were in an industrial district.

Conclusion

Industrial architecture varies from build to build and, in the present day, has been changed from an almost brutalist style to much more sustainable and eco-friendly. It’s a style that packs in the Sims 4 and lends itself well to. My favourite part about this was taking real-life inspiration to craft a story that fits the build, which is almost always my favourite part.