History of Architecture

1. History of Architecture From Greece to the 21st Century

2. American architect Ludwig Rohe rightly said “Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.”

3. "The final goal of all artistic activity is architecture.“ -Walter Gropius

4. Architecture is life . . . . . . or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest record of life as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived . . . -Frank Lloyd Wright, An Organic Architecture, 1970

5. Whatever else architecture is, it is at least an effort to enclose the greatest amount of unobstructed space with the least amount of material . . . ~R. Buckminster Fuller

6. Ancient Greece • The Parthenon, 450 BCE • Athena, Classical Greece • Doric order • Post and lintel • Colonnade, peristyle • Optical refinements • Athenian democracy

7. Greek Orders

9. Roman Architecture • Rounded Arches replaced the post and Lintel system. • Spacious interiors • basilicas • Use of concrete • Use of Barrel vaults

10. Examples of Important Roman Architecture

12. Key Terms • Rounded Arch • Barrel Vault • Pilasters • Coffers • Concrete • Arcade • Concrete

13. Early Christian and Byzantine Art • Earliest art forms found in the catacombs, underground passageways. • Christian Basilicas modeled on Roman Empire admin centers-basilicas-to accommodate the large numbers of Christians. • Technical advances from Roman architecture made making larger structures possible. • Christian churches=sacred space for large congregations

14. Plain Exterior but Ornate Interior • The Basilica was designed with a large central aisle called a nave. At the end, there was a semi-circular area called the apse. Cruciform floor plan

15. Byzantine Architecture • Constantinople = capital • 330 – 1453 CE • Cross in square capped with domes • Pendentives, piers • Lavish interior, plain exterior • Combine church + state • Heavenly atmosphere, mysterious

16. HAGIA SOPHIA, INSTANBUL, TURKEY Anthemias and Isidorus, 535 CE

18. Hagia Sophia’s dome rests on four hug piers, massive vertical pillars, that support arches made of cut stone. Use of pendentives, transition pieces from wall to dome

19. SAN VITALE, RAVENNA, ITALY 545 CE Central plan Concentric Octagons Off-axis narthex Interior golden mosaics Tesserae Justinian and Theodora

21. Basilica Plan vs Central Plan

22. Islamic Architecture

25. Mihrab Qibla wall faces Mecca

26. Taj Mahal, Agra, India, c. 1650 Mughal India Empire

27. Romanesque Architecture • 11th-12th Century Europe • Combining features of contemporary Western Roman and Byzantine buildings • Compartmentalized, cruciform • Massive, sturdy piers, thick walls • Round arch, barrel vault • Stone sculpture • Massive, segmented structure, fortress-like • Accommodate pilgrims, ambulatory • Regional differences, e.g. Durham Cathedral, UK

28. Groin Vaults • A groin vault or groined vault = the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults. • Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round. In comparison with a barrel vault, a groin vault provides good economies of material and labour. The thrust is concentrated along the groins so the vault need only be abutted at its four corners. • In the Gothic era, groin-vaulted naves were supported by flying buttresses.

30. Barrel vaulted nave

32. Example of Romanesque Architecture St. Sernin Toulouse, France c. 1,000 CE

33. Romanesque Portal

35. Gothic Art • 13th and 14th Century • Gothic is a term used to identify a period that began around the middle of the 12th century and lasted to the end of the 15th century and in some places, the 16th century. • Romanesque style paved the way to the Gothic style

36. Gothic Art • Unified interior • Pointed arches rather than rounded arches • Ribbed groin vaults • piers, compound piers • Verticality • Stained glass • New Jerusalem

37. Chartres Cathedral c. 1200 Dedicated to Virgin Mary Notre Dame

38. The (West) Royal Portal, Chartres Cathedral

39. Flying Buttreess • “Flying Buttress” is a support structure that reach the side aisles of the church that created a thrust-counterthrust system that supports the groin-vaulted ceiling.

40. Stained Glass • Many stories of bible, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, etc. Colored Illuminations • Size- huge areas in cathedrals were dedicated to these windows. • Color-artisans added minerals to the glass while it was molten to color the glass • Design-small pieces of stained glass were joined with lead-strips and reinforced with iron bars.

41. Lux Nova

43. Renaissance, Florence 15th Century Italy Brunelleschi Revitalized Classical ideals Clarity, harmony, geometry Ideal proportions Foundling Hospital

44. Brunelleschi Florence Cathedral Dome = double shell

45. Alberti Palazzo Ruccellai 1450 3 horizontal floors Vertical pilasters Strong cornice

46. Baroque • Relies on movement Large, meant to impress Facades undulate, interplay of forms Oval plans Interiors = richly designed, elaborate & Incorporated all the arts Landscaping becomes important in Eng/France

47. Soaring To New Heights Late 19th century - Early 20th century Beginnings of the skyscraper Louis Sullivan, Form Follows Function “Modern” technology, smaller footprint Steel skeleton Orderly, light-filled, elevators, heating, ventilation Exterior expresses interior Sullivan, Guaranty Building Buffalo, NY, 1895

48. Organic Architecture Organic Architecture is a term Frank Lloyd Wright used to describe his approach to architectural design. The philosophy grew from the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright's mentor, Louis Sullivan, who believed that "form follows function." Wright argued that "form and function are one."

49. Organic Architecture • Organic architecture strives to integrate space into a unified whole. • Frank Lloyd Wright was not concerned with architectural style, • because he believed that every building should grow naturally from its environment.

50. Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesan West Robie House PRAIRIE STYLE