ASIAN ARCHITECTURE

BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
STUPA complex of shrines; places of worship, ritual & flower offering by the laity
VIHARA monastery of monks in a shrine
ELEMENTS OF BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
PLANS

WALLS stone blocks

OPENINGS entoranas

ROOFS wood w/ thatch: steep pitch, pyramidal

stone roof
COLUMNS Graeco-Roman origin
MOULDINGS bulbous
ORNAMENT classical; restrained

JAIN ARCHITECTURE
ELEMENTS OF BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
PLANS

WALLS simple ashlar masonry; sculptures

OPENINGS

ROOFSflat domes or Hindu Sikhara

SIKHARA spired domes
COLUMNS elaborately decorated

MOULDINGS bulbous
ORNAMENT exuberant
HINDU ARCHITECTURE
GOPURA great tower
SIKHARA spired domes
ELEMENTS OF BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
PLANS small, dark shrine, opem porch roof
WALLS simple ashlar masonry, sculptures
OPENINGS with corbelled brackets

ROOFSsikharas or spired domes

COLUMNS chain & keel / bell form capital

MOULDINGS bulbous
ORNAMENT exuberant

CHINESE ARCHITECTURE
MAIN MATERIALS: bamboo, timber, pine, Persian nanmu, bricks and stones
BRIDGES significant in landscaping
ELEMENTS OF CHINESE ARCHITECTURE:
ROOF sign of dignity; bright colors, curves covered w/ stoneware tiles; curvature of eaves
(reflects Chinese character of being straightforward, down-to-earth but full of vitality)

- S-shape (PANTILE)

DOORWAYS square shape

WINDOWS use oyster shells / rice paper

WALLS high walls; made of bricks

ROOF BEAMS supported by brackets
COLUMNS no support value
ORNAMENT dragons“protect from fire and evil spirits”
GATEWAY pai-lou: ceremonial gateway in memory of an eminent person

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
1) unity of structure w/ architectural art
2) good anti-seismic function
- mortise & tenon

MORTISE
 3) a high degree of standardization
4) bright colors
5) systematic grouping of buildings

FENG SHUI or Geomancy: “there are forces that exist in each locality that act as good / bad
PAGODA a multistoreyed shrine-like tower

JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
HORYUJI PAGODA oldest pagoda
WASHITSU meditation room
TOKONOMA an alcove, raised above the floor, for displaying a hanging scroll and a flower
arrangement

ISLAM