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A DATABASE OF ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS: THE CASE OF NEOCLASSICAL

FAÇADES ELEMENTS

Conference Paper · April 2018

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Proceedings of the 4th Biennial of
Architectural and Urban Restoration, BRAU4
host of the Itinerant Congress
Hidden Cultural Heritage: Under Water,
Under Ground And Within Buildings
15–30 April, 2018.

A Database of Architectural Details: the Case of

Neoclassical Façades Elements

Thanos Balafoutis1 and Stelios Zerefos2

1 Researcher, PhD Candidate, School of Applied Arts, Hellenic Open University, Patras,
Greece
2 Associate Professor, School of Applied Arts, Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece
emails: balafoutis.athanasios@ac.eap.gr, zerefos@eap.gr

Abstract

This research is based on the fact that neoclassical buildings can be defined by
repeated sets of distinct morphological elements and decorative ornaments found on
their facades. These elements are recorded and categorized in a vast collection of
listed buildings across the Globe, so as to create a worldwide database with facade
characteristics of neoclassical buildings. This is achieved through the analysis of the
general structure of the buildings in question, by studying grouped structural elements
such as the base, the body, the coronation but also overhangs and openings. The
research continues with the identification and analysis of decorative elements and
filtering them to find shared elements.
This database can be used to analyze similarities and differences between identical
element types in different buildings, identify architectural “preferences” concerning the
elements used in each case, detect common elements in various building uses or the
use of different elements in similar types of uses, and in general constitute a valuable
tool when researching any aspect of the facades of neoclassical buildings.

1 Introduction
Although different types of architectural, structural and decorative details have been defined
by Vitruvius [1] and Palladio [2], the “architectural style”, as defined today, is a creation
of the 19th century [3]. The architectural periods demonstrate greater diversity than
any methodology would attempt to group them and this term is now used to categorize
and analyze buildings with common standard features, cultural trends depending on the
socio-economic factors of the construction period, movements or ideologies.
The neoclassical language was established in the 1740s at the French Academy in
Rome from scholars of the Academy in Paris [4], awarded with the Grand Prix. During
the same period Piranesi’s influence over architects of the neo-classical movement and

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

the discovery of the ruins of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748) [5], had a defining
impact on Neoclassicism. Also, according to the Enlightenment [6] that dominated the
18th century in Europe, in order to enable humanity to approach integration it should turn
to the past, studying antiquity. Nowadays, many of the neoclassical buildings that stand
the test of time are characterized either as “listed”, or as “historical” and constitute part
of the living memory of a place at a given timeframe [7].

2 The Database
This research tries to identify and analyze the morphological elements and decorative
ornaments found on the facades of neoclassical buildings so as to create a list that collects
and groups these different elements found on the facades of different buildings around the
world. The purpose is to create a database which will categorize the elements according to
the frequency of their appearance on the facades, their repetition and the place of their
installation.

2.1 Buildings
After an extensive literature review, a fairly long list of 150 neoclassical buildings, around
the world, that are characterized as “listed” began to be formed. The characterization of
these buildings as neoclassical arises from the simplicity, robustness, rigorous consistency
and tranquility, resulting from the symmetrical design of their central facade that is
decorated by repeated classical morphological features.
The inclusion of these buildings into the list was based solely on their architectural,
aesthetical and historical value and not on their morphological structure, which is taken
into account at a later stage of the categorization. The buildings were placed on the
list based on the end of their construction, from the beginning of the 18th century until
mid-20th century, while codified by country taking two-letter country code and a serial
number in accordance with their date of construction. Studying the list in chronological
order, anyone understands the evolution of the neoclassical style in a given timeframe.

Table 1: List of the Buildings.

No. Building City – Country No. Building City – Country

001 San Simeone Piccolo Venice - Italy 002 Royal Opera House London - U.K.
003 Bank of England London - U.K. 004 St. John Lateran Basilica Rome - Italy
005 Teatro di San Carlo Naples - Italy 006 Dover House London - U.K.
007 Circus Bath - U.K. 008 Pantheon Paris - France
009 Kedleston Hall Derby - U.K. 010 Cathedral of Vac Vac - Hungary
011 Petit Trianon Versailles - France 012 Łazienki Palace Warsaw - Poland
013 Kazimierz Palace Warsaw - Poland 014 Palacio del Infante don Luis Madrid - Spain
015 Pazo de Raxoi S. Compostela-Sp. 016 Monnaie de Paris Paris - France
017 Palacio de Liria Madrid - Spain 018 Château de Bénouville Bénouville - France
019 Real Casa de la Aduana Madrid - Spain 020 Palazzo Reale Milan - Italy
021 Apsley House London - U.K. 022 Palazzo Belgiojoso Milano - Italy
023 Monticello Virginia - USA 024 Saline Royale Arc-et-Senans – Fr.
025 Casino at Marino Dublin - Ireland 026 Palazzo Salerno Naples - Italy
027 Somerset House London - U.K. 028 Palazzo Ducale Genoa - Italy
029 Teatro alla Scala Milan - Italy 030 Palazzo Anguissola Milano - Italy

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

Table 1: List of the Buildings.

No. Building City – Country No. Building City – Country

031 Fridericianum Kassel - Germany 032 Vilnius Cathedral Vilnius - Lithuania
033 Grand Theatre Bordeaux - France 034 Theatre De L’Europe Paris - France
035 Królikarnia Warsaw - Poland 036 Bellevue Palace Berlin - Germany
037 Museo Del Prado Madrid - Spain 038 Schloss Wilhelmshöhe Kassel - Germany
039 National Library of Malta Valletta - Malta 040 Palacio de la Aduana Málaga - Spain
041 Schloss Esterhazy Eisenstadt - Austria 042 Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte Milano - Italy
043 Ostankino Palace Moscow - Russia 044 Obser.Astr.Nac. de España Madrid - Spain
045 Metropolitan Cathedral Buenos Aires-Arg. 046 Alexander Palace St. Petersburg-Rus.
047 White House Washighton - USA 048 United States Capitol Washighton - USA
049 Palacio Nacional de Ajuda Lisboa - Portugal 050 Vilnius Town Hall Vilnius - Lithuania
051 R.G. Church of Debrecen Debrecen - Hungary 052 Baltimore Basilica Baltimore - USA
053 Chateau de Rastignac La Bachellerie – Fr. 054 Palazzo Saporiti Milano - Italy
055 General Post Office Dublin - Ireland 056 Palazzo Pozzi Besana Milano - Italy
057 Palazzo della Prefettura Naples - Italy 058 Glyptothek Munich - Germany
059 B. San Franc. di Paola Naples - Italy 060 St Louis Church Roche-sur-Yon – Fr.
061 Konzerthaus Berlin - Germany 062 Presidential Palace Warsaw - Poland
063 St. Alexander’s Church Warsaw - Poland 064 Saint Isaac’s Cathedral St. Petersburg-Rus.
065 Palazzo San Giacomo Naples - Italy 066 Belweder Warsaw - Poland
067 Tegel Palace Berlin - Germany 068 Staszic Palace Warsaw - Poland
069 Distr. of Columbia City Hall Washighton - USA 070 Cornwall Terrace London - U.K.
071 Ezstergom Basilica Ezstergom-Hungary 072 The Rotunda Virginia - USA
073 Altes Museum Berlin - Germany 074 Pergamon Museum Berlin - Germany
075 Mostowski Palace Warsaw - Poland 076 Canada House London - U.K.
077 Bolshoi Theatre Moscow - Russia 078 Lancaster House London - U.K.
079 Alexandrinsky Theatre St. Petersburg-Rus. 080 The Lanesborough London - U.K.
081 Wilhelm Wagenfeld House Bremen - Germany 082 Palazzo Brentani Milano - Italy
083 The Walhalla Donaustauf-Ger. 084 Jenisch House Hamburg - Germany
085 C.B. of St. John the Apostle Eger - Hungary 086 National Gallery London - U.K.
087 Rotunda of Mosta Mosta - Malta 088 Town Hall Birmingham - U.K.
089 National Library of Finland Helsinki - Finland 090 Old Royal Palace Athens -Greece
091 U. S. Treasury Building Washighton - USA 092 National University Athens -Greece
093 Hungarian Nat. Museum Budapest - Hungary 094 St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral Valletta - Malta
095 Palácio da Bolsa Porto - Portugal 096 St George’s Hall Liverpool -UK
097 La Madeleine Paris - France 098 Palacio De Las Cortes Madrid - Spain
099 San Carlo al Corso Milano - Italy 100 Mariinsky Palace St. Petersburg-Rus.
101 Palacio de Fernán Núñez Madrid - Spain 102 Buckingham Palace London - U.K.
103 British Museum London - U.K. 104 State Library of Victoria Melbourne- Australia
105 Geelong Town Hall Geelong - Australia 106 Parliament House Melbourne- Australia
107 Kronprinzenpalais Berlin - Germany 108 Palais Schaumburg Bonn - Germany
109 Academy of Athens Athens -Greece 110 Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin - Germany
111 Launceston Town Hall Tasmania - Australia 112 Teatro Massimo Palermo - Italy
113 Par. Inm. Concepción Buenos Aires-Arg. 114 Teatro Politeama Palermo - Italy
115 Wiener Musikverein Vienna - Austria 116 Villa Hügel Essen - Germany
117 Palacio Errázuriz Urmeneta S. de Chile-Chile 118 Parliament House Adelaide - Australia
119 Zappeion Athens -Greece 120 Capitolio Nacional Bogota - Colombia
121 Iliou Melathron Athens -Greece 122 County Sessions House Liverpool -UK
123 Teatro María Guerrero Madrid - Spain 124 Palacio de la Bolsa Madrid - Spain
125 National Library Athens -Greece 126 Presidential Mansion Athens -Greece
127 Low Memorial Library New York - USA 128 Pal. of the Nat.Congress Buenos Aires-Arg.
129 Blackstone Branch Chicago - USA 130 Palacio de São Bento Lisboa - Portugal
131 Aguascalientes Museum Aguascalientes-Sp. 132 Pal. of Justice Buenos Aires-Arg.
133 Pal. de los Trib. de Justicia S. de Chile - Chile 134 Spokane Masonic Temple Spokane - USA
135 Bosch Palace Buenos Aires-Arg. 136 Theater am Goetheplatz Bremen - Germany

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

Table 1: List of the Buildings.

No. Building City – Country No. Building City – Country

137 City Hall San Francisco-USA 138 American Red Cross Head. Washighton - USA
139 Domvs Romana Mdina - Malta 140 Edificio Tornquist Buenos Aires-Arg.
141 Manila Central Post Office Manila - Philippines 142 Shrine of Remembrance Melbourne- Australia
143 Auckland War M. Museum Auckland- N.Z. 144 DAR Constitution Hall Washighton - USA
145 Herbert C. Hoover Building Washighton - USA 146 National Gallery of Art Washighton - USA
147 U. S. Supreme Court Washighton - USA 148 Jefferson Memorial Washighton - USA
149 Head. of the Bank Buenos Aires-Arg. 150 Courts of Justice Valletta - Malta

2.2 Elements
An analysis was then made on the facades of the selected buildings (Figure 1) to identify
and study the morphological elements and decorative ornaments that appear on the main
facades of the selected buildings. All elements, from the total of 150 buildings, were traced
and the main facades were procedurally decomposed, so as to form a collection of the most
important and common decorative and morphological elements found. The elements were
also filtered by the times each element is found in the sample of the 150 buildings so as to
create a record of the population and the type of neoclassical elements found on the main
facades.

Figure 1: Identification of the architectural elements.

A total of 70 different elements were identified and sorted in alphabetical order according
to their type (Table 2). Due to the fact that the terminology of these elements varies
according to their installation and placement on the façade, some elements have been
counted differently depending on their position. An example of similar elements found
in different positions are brackets that when they support the cornice they are named

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

Modillions, when they support balconies they are called Consoles, and when they support
a pediment they are called Corbels. Another important finding is the large deviation in the
frequency that each element is present on a façade. For example, Cornices were found in
147 out of 150 buildings, and Entablatures traced in 139 out of 150 buildings, while some
items such as the Serpentine Fluted Column was found in only one building, Cornerstones
were found in 8 buildings and a Decorative Mask in 9 buildings.

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Balustraded
1 Acroteria 14 2 23
Balconette

Railing Balustraded
3 23 4 27
Balconette Balcony

Railing
5 19 6 Blind Arch 14
Balcony

Blocked Brackets /
7 50 8 22
Keystone Console

Brackets / Brackets /
9 64 10 83
Corbel Modillion

Colossal
11 Coffering 23 12 12
Column

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Corinthian
Doric Order
13 Order 55 14 34
Column
Column

Engaged Engaged
15 Corinthian 20 16 Doric 10
Column Column

Engaged Flat Fillet

17 Ionic 18 18 Fluted 50
Column Column

Giant Ionic Order

19 62 20 45
Column Column

Serpentine Sharp Fillet

21 Fluted 1 22 Fluted 16
Column Column

Column
23 without 79 24 Cornice 147
Grooves

Decorative
Decorative Key /
25 56 26 55
Bas-relief Festoon /
Garland

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Decorative Decorative
27 9 28 11
Mask Medallion

Dentil
29 91 30 Dome 33
Moulding

Dome with
Dome with
31 Cupola 12 32 28
Drum
(Lantern)

Doorway
Arched
33 55 34 with Pointed 28
Doorway
Pediment

Vacant Niche
35 Entablature 139 36 13
(Conch)

Niche
Arched
37 (Conch) with 12 38 40
Opening
Statue

Arched
Balustraded
39 Opening 30 40 65
Parapet
with Impost

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Perron
Closed
41 58 42 (Entrance 71
Parapet
Stairs)

Corinthian
43 Pier 19 44 Order 62
Pilaster

Doric Order Ionic Order

45 58 46 31
Pilaster Pilaster

Pilaster with Vacant

47 22 48 75
Grooves Podium

Podium with Podium with

49 33 50 23
Statue Urns

Quoins Banded
51 8 52 41
(Cornerstones) Recession

Sculpted
53 Rustication 35 54 37
Pediment

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Sculpture
55 27 56 Statue 49
Groups

Triglyph
57 28 58 Tympanum 95
with Guttae

Arched
59 Voussoirs 31 60 38
Window

Attic Basement
61 46 62 74
Window Window

Pedimented
Oculus
63 13 64 Piano Nobile 72
Window
Window

Piano Nobile Typical

65 110 66 117
Window Window

Window
Window
with
67 61 68 with Pointed 31
Horizontal
Pediment
Pediment

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

Table 2: List of the Elements.

No. of No. of
Build- Build-
No. Element Image No. Element Image
ings ings
found found

Window
Window
with
69 33 70 with Typical 67
Shouldered
Surround
Surround

The presented database can also compare predominant elements between different
countries. For example Corinthian Order Columns in Great Britain exist in 67% of the
listed neoclassical buildings, in contrast to other countries, such as Italy and France, where
the respective percentage is only 15% and 19% respectively. In Italian buildings, Modillions
are found in 84% of the cases and Arched Doorways appear in 74% of the selected buildings,
while in other countries these rates drop to less than 50% and 30% respectively. Another
distinction between countries is the high selection of the Entrance Stairs (Perron) in US
buildings (76%) compared to the rest of the world (<50%).
After identifying and categorizing the individual morphological elements, they were
examined in groups located on the facades of the buildings, since most element groups
are often referred to by a particular name, depending on the types of elements and their
placement on the façade of the building (Table 3). In this case, the presence of the tripartite
horizontal separation of the facade on a Base, Body and Coronation, characterizing the
neoclassical buildings, is verified as it is detected in more than 85% of the buildings,
worldwide.

Table 3: List of the Grouped Elements.

Build- Build-
No. Groups Image No. Groups Image
ings ings

Coupled
1 19 2 Loggia 2
Column

Coupled Closed
3 24 4 29
Pilaster Portico

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

Table 3: List of the Grouped Elements.

Build- Build-
No. Groups Image No. Groups Image
ings ings

Open Statues in
5 96 6 18
Portico Array

Windows in Temple
7 114 8 63
Array Front

9 Base 128 10 Body 147

11 Coronation 144 12 Flat Façade 66

Flat Façade Flat Façade

13 with Central 52 14 with Central 14
Projection Recession

Flat Façade Flat Façade

15 with Side 45 16 with Temple 55
Wings Front

In the last part of this study a classification is made regarding the shape of the plan
(Table 4). Of the 150 buildings studied, only 21 differed from the typical rectangular plan.
This differentiation is divided into 3 types of plans that are the Tholos (or Rotunda), the
Peripteral and the Cross. Apart from the above-mentioned differences, it is important also
to highlight perhaps the most important feature of the neoclassical buildings that is, no
other than, symmetry. It is worth mentioning that the symmetry is followed in 97% of the
buildings studied.

ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1 BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia

 A Database of Architectural Details

Table 4: List of the Different Plan Layouts.

Build- Build-
No. Plans Image No. Plans Image
ings ings

Peripteral
1 Cross Plan 9 2 5
Plan

Tholos Plan Rectangular

3 7 4 129
/ Rotunda Plan

Conclusion
This study created a database of neoclassical buildings and the morphological elements and
decorations found in their main façades. The database can be used to identify predominant
neoclassical features of buildings throughout the world and can be categorized and used in
a multitude of aspects, from defining the most probable element or group of elements to
be found on a specific timeframe, to identifying the most important neoclassical features
in a specific country.
The database is part of a research project whose purpose is to create a tool for illumi-
nating the facades of historical buildings through a decision support system application.

References
[1] Vitruvius. Ten Books on Architecture. Stelios Zerefos (Greek translation). Thessaloniki,
Greece: 2nd Ed. Paratiritis. 1999.

[2] A. Paladio. The Four Books on Architecture. Richard Schofield (Translator). Robert
Tavernor (Translator). The MIT Press. 2002.

[3] O. Hopkins. Architectural Styles – A Visual Guide. London, UK: Laurence King
Publishing. 2014.

[4] D. Watkin. A History of Western Architecture. London, UK: Laurence King Publishing.
1986.

[5] F. Strazzullo. «I primi anni dello scavo di Ercolano nel diario dell’ingegnere militare R.
G. d’Alcubierre». In: Proceedings of the Congresso internazionale La regione sotterrata
del Vesuvio. (Naples, Italy). 1979.

[6] M. Horkheimer, T. Adorno. The Dialectic of Enlightenment. New York, USA: Herder
and Herder. 1972.

BRAU4 Proceedings © CICOP Italia ISBN: 978-88-909-1165-1

 Thanos Balafoutis, Stelios Zerefos

[7] T. Balafoutis, S. Zerefos. «Designing lighting for historical buildings using a modular
methodology: The case of the work of Ernst Ziller in Greece». In: Proceedings of the
Balkan Light Conference. (Athens, Greece). 2015.

[8] T. Balafoutis, S. Zerefos. «Developing a toolset for decision making on the design
of lighting for historical buildings». International Conference on Design Principles &
Practices. (Barcelona, Spain). 2018.

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