CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE

GROUP 15
Some of the biggest Classical
Architecture found in the United
States is located right in the heart
of Williamsburg, Virginia, at a
historic site called Colonial
Williamsburg. It also can be found
in Washington D.C
HOW WAS IT IMPORTANT?
 Classical architecture was also often built on a
grand scale, with imposing columns and large arches
to demonstrate the skills of the builders.
 Classical Architecture is the simple yet breath-
taking, complex yet elegant foundations and figures.
The buildings are so symmetrical right down to the
bare details. The architects of that time period
tried to have everything symmetrical. From the
door, to the fireplace, and even the decorations
inside as well as outside of the building.
WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT?
 This type of architecture was either for one or two
things. One of the reason that houses were built were
for a basic need, shelter. Or, they could have built
that home for a god(s), a place to worship a god(s), or a
gathering place (ex. Town Hall). As time passed, the
buildings became more elaborate and more detailed.
Some civilizations grew from stone and mud huts to
huge temples as well as tombs like the Egyptians.
 There is a possibility that the reason the buildings got
more and more elaborate was because each city or
race was fighting against each other -by buildings.
That could explain why these buildings were so
elaborate and so time consuming. The most logical
reason is that they wanted their buildings to be so
elaborate to please their gods as well as please
themselves.
 MOVEMENTS:
700 BC-323 BC: GREEK
 The Doric column was first developed in Greece and it was
used for great temples, including the famous Parthenon in
Athens. Simple Ionic columns were used for smaller temples
and building interiors.

 Three Major Greek Columns:

 GREEK ARCHITECTURE
PARTHENON

The Parthenon was built in the 5th century

BC, and despite the enormous damage it
has sustained over the centuries, it still
communicates the ideals of order and
harmony for which Greek architecture is
known
323 BC-146 BC: HELLENISTIC
 When Greece was at the height of its power in Europe and
Asia, the empire built elaborate temples and secular
buildings with Ionic and Corinthian columns. The Hellenistic
period ended with conquests by the Roman Empire.
44 BC-476 AD: ROMAN
 The Romans borrowed heavily from the earlier Greek and Hellenistic
styles, but their buildings were more highly ornamented. They used
Corinthian and composite style columns along with decorative brackets.
The invention of concrete allowed the Romans to build
arches, vaults, and domes. A famous example of Roman architecture is
the Roman Colosseum.

Corinthian and composite

ARCH USE
 NEOCLASSICAL

 Neo-Classical architecture is a new birth of the classical

architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. A Neoclassical
building is likely to have these features: symmetrical
shape, tall columns that rise the full height of the
building, triangular pediment, and a domed roof
SOURCES
 Google Images
 http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/styles/classical.html
 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431390/order
 "What is Classical Architecture." www.wisegeek.com. 2009.
conjecture corporation, Web. 13 Sep 2009.
<http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-classical-
architecture.htm>.
 Adam, Robert, Classical Architecture: A Comprehensive
Handbook to the Tradition of Classical Style, New
York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990
 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-classical-architecture.htm
 http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/classicalarchitecture.htm