Module III

• Analysis of artistic expression of architecture

according to its medium, cultural and historical
relevance through case studies.
Eg: Greek, Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Japanese,
Kerala etc.
Architecture and Society/Artistic
Expression
• There is no art form that is as completely intertwined
with a particular society as its architectural expression
• Architecture is art that is physically rooted in the
geographic location of that society
• For the members of a society, the architecture
physically reflects
• their aspirations, their artistic sensibility, and their economic
wealth
• the level of advancement of their technology; the elements
of climate and topography
• the structure of their social organisation
• Architecture is both a mirror of that society's activities
and an instrument shaping its identity
https://slideplayer.co
m/slide/8834598/
Ancient Greece
200 B.C.- 300 A.D.
(Golden Age 500 B.C.)
 Sociocultural Characteristics
Political
• A loose collection of city-states
• Laws created through democratic representation i.e.
senate
• Invented concepts of "polis" and "citizen" (Women,
foreigners and slaves could not be citizens.)
Economic
• As island societies, city-states were dependent on trade
• For economic and political reasons, when cities became
too large (generally over 30,000), new Greek colonies were
established
 Sociocultural Characteristics
Religious
• Pantheistic. Elaborate mythology of gods in human
form
• Greeks strove for a balance of mind (philosophy), spirit
(religion), and body (physical conditioning)
Scientific/Technological
• Building restricted to trabeated (post and beam)
construction
Other influences
• Climatic: Mediterranean climate
• Short winters
• Adequate rainfall, often in heavy storms
• Hot and dry summer
• Building Material
• Use of marble in public buildings
• Or limestone protected by a layer of marble
dust
Artistic Expression – Golden Ratio
Artistic Expression
Artistic Expression
• Classical period - rapid
development towards lifelike
depictions of gods in human form

Caryatid Porch of
the Erechtheion, Athens
 Artistic expression (and Geometry in
Architecture)
Entasis
The application of
a convex curve to a
surface for
aesthetic purposes
 ANCIENT ROME
(Golden Age 96-180 AD)
 Sociocultural Characteristics
Political
• Highly centralized authority at city of Rome
• Government dominated by military
Economic
• Trade economy
• New trade areas opened up through military
conquest
Religious
• Less spiritual and philosophical than the
Greeks; Romans more practical and pragmatic
Sociocultural Characteristics
Scientific/Technological
Perfection of the arcuated (arched)
construction system allowed for great
engineering achievements:
• Arch (one dimensional) gateways, bridges and
aqueducts and buildings (e.g., Colosseum)
• Barrel Vault (two dimensional) water/sewer
systems
• Dome (three dimensional) great spaces (e.g.,
Pantheon)
Sociocultural Characteristics
Scientific/Technological
Use of arcuated construction systems
combined with military organization resulted
in:
• Rome largest city in the ancient world - over 1
million persons
• The spread of civilization (cities) throughout the
Roman Empire: North Africa, Middle East, Western
Europe and England
Sociocultural Characteristics
Scientific/Technological
Construction Material
• Volcanic Italian sand (pozzolana) - Used initially in
mortar then later in Roman concrete, which could
set even underwater (useful for bridges and other
waterside construction), was more resistant than
modern concrete to salt water
Roman Engineering Skills (Extra info)
Ancient Romans known for their remarkable engineering skills and
ingenuity
• Aqueducts consisted of conduits, tunnels and pipelines bringing
water from far-away springs and mountains into cities and towns.
They could be over 100 km long.
• Bridges Roman builders were also the first to fully understand the
structural advantages of an arch. Arched structures made bridges
stronger, and allowed for much longer bridge spans. Hundreds of
Roman bridges still in existence all around Europe.
• Roads: The Romans had an extended road network stretching
from northern England to southern Egypt. The construction of
Roman roads involved colossal works of engineering because not
only bridges and tunnels, but also viaducts, had to be built
wherever roads encountered major obstacles.
• Roman concrete: One of the most important Roman
contributions to building technology was the invention of
concrete. Concrete allowed for the construction of impressive
buildings e.g. the Pantheon. Roman concrete is superior to
modern concrete – Roman concrete in harbours have remained
intact after 2,000 years of constant pounding by the sea
Pantheon 113–125 AD
Pantheon
 Vaults
Four common
types

• Barrel vault (also called a cradle vault, tunnel vault, or wagon vault) semicircular cross
section
• Groin (or cross) vault
formed by the perpendicular intersection of two barrel vaults
• Rib (or ribbed) vault
supported by a series of arched diagonal ribs that divide the vault’s
surface into panels
• Fan vault composed of concave sections with ribs spreading out like a fan
• Read about Colosseum or Baths of Caraculla
• https://architecture.knoji.com/17-interesting-facts-
about-the-colosseum/
• softschools.com/facts/rome/baths_of_caracalla_facts/2
058/
• As an example of Roman Engineering skills –
Colosseum
• http://shortsleeveandtieclub.com/engineering-the-7-
new-wonders-roman-colosseum/
Gothic period
1000 to 1400
 Sociocultural
Characteristics

Political
• Establishment of feudalism; a period which tied personal power to
land ownership - kingship and feudal lords
Economic
• Resumption of trade
• Establishment of craft guilds
 Sociocultural Characteristics
Religious
• Heavy Christian influence
(period of the Crusades)
• Gothic cathedral centre piece
of the city and society
• Separation of church and state
Technological
• Refined stonework, the Gothic
arch
• No other great advances in
building engineering beyond
the accomplishments of the
Romans
 Other influences
• Climatic:
• seen in use of arcades
• size of door and window openings
• heavy snow-falls necessitated steep Gothic roofs in the
north
• Geological (construction material):
• varying geological conditions contributed to differentiating
the style of architecture e.g.
• white and coloured marbles of Italy
• coarse-grained stone of France and England
• brick of northern Germany
Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, France
Gothic Churches

• Taller, lighter and more open

• Possible due to three key developments:
• Pointed arches
• Ribbed vaults
• Flying buttresses (https://arthistoryleavingcert.com/gothic/)
 Pointed Arches

• Produced less outward thrust than the rounded arch;

walls could be made thinner and more windows could
be used
• Also it could span a wider distance than a rounded
one; windows could become bigger
 Ribbed Vault
• When ribs used to reinforce
vaults then surface between
ribs could be made much
thinner than without ribs.
• Therefore, ceilings and walls
could become much thinner
 Flying Buttress
• Consists of two parts
• a ‘buttress’ – which stands up
straight and
• a ‘flyer’ which is an arch joining
the buttress to the exterior wall
• Development of Flying
Buttresses meant that
walls could be built much
thinner and higher
Transfer of load
Lasting Influences – Medieval period
• Guilds
• Elevated status of workers/craftsmen
• Institutionalized communal ("socialized") education and
welfare for workers
• Established a middle class
• University form of education - law, medicine, the
arts
• Period when great cities were established
Venice, Florence, Paris, London, Vienna, Munich--the
formative period of most European cities
Gothic Architecture In Europe -
Influences
Reading material
• http://www.oldandsold.com/articles23/architectur
e-69.shtml
 The Renaissance
1400 - 1700 AD
"Rebirth" of classic cultures--Greeks and Romans.
Period of consolidation of cities (commerce) along
principal trade routes: Florence, Venice, Paris.
 Sociocultural Characteristics
Political : Landed aristocracy and successful
merchants/bankers--city/states.
Economic : Consolidation of wealth from rents, taxes,
piracy; Age of Discovery - world exploration/trade
Cultural : Unprecedented patronage of the arts;
painting, sculpture, architecture - Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, etc.
Religious : Declined in government influence; clear
separation of church and state--"conscience" of
society
Scientific/Technological : Experimentation with military
science (gun powder, tanks, flying machines);
perfection of sailing ships and mapping
Features of Renaissance Buildings
• Rectilinear- Major buildings were built as square
or rectangle symmetrical shapes.
• Facade - The front buildings were generally
symmetrical around the vertical axis.
• Columns - They used Roman type columns.
• Arches and Domes - Arches and domes taken from
Roman and Greek architecture were popular
St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square
Kerala Architecture
Vernacular architecture
and
Artistic expression
Vernacular Architecture
The art of constructing buildings and shelters which is
spontaneous, environment-oriented, community-based; it
acknowledges no architect or treaty and reflects the
technology and culture of the indigenous society and
environment (Rudofsky 1964)
• Responded to local context
• Based on local needs
• Reflected local culture and traditions
• Climate and environment responsive
• Used locally available materials and building technology
• Relied on the construction skills and knowledge of local
builders (gleaned over a long period of trial and error)
• Veedu: general term for house
House in Kerala
• Joint family system (Tharavad) led to tradition of living
in a single big house
• Form, layout and materials used depended on social
status and profession
• Even names of houses or huts of social groups differed
according to locality, social status and structural types
• Cheri, chala, kudi, bhavanam, kottaram, kovilakom, mana, etc
• Spatial form:
• Ekasala is a single hall house
• Dvisala a two-hall house
• Trisala a three-hall house
• Chatursala a four-hall house/courtyard house
• Roof: overwhelming scale, pyramidal and sloping roof,
with wooden gable end
• Building materials: Stones (granite, laterite), timber, clay and
palm leaves
• Five types of traditional domestic
architecture or Veedu in Kerala
• The humble houses of ordinary folks and
tribal people/ adivasis
• Ekasala, an I-shaped single rectangular hall
house, of farmers or middle-class non-farmers
• Nalukettu, a courtyard house, of landlords Read for exam
https://en.wikipedia.org/
• Great mansion Ettuketu and Patinjarukettu wiki/Architecture_of_Kera
(double ettukettu) or much bigger structures, la#Elements_of_Nalukettu
belong to very rich landlords
• Commoner houses - simple ordinary houses In general
scattered abundantly in the cities and villages; https://en.wikipedia.org/
show applications of traditional construction wiki/Architecture_of_Kera
la
and vocabulary in an eclectic manner
(Susilo, 2007)
• Marked differences existed between religious
communities
 Ekasala
• Simplest: A single hall house
• Usually small and are erected on
ground level, sometimes on a
raised platform
• A unit structure of one bay width
with a hipped roof
• Locally available materials:
bamboo reeds, wooden poles,
mud and local grass or leaves
• Walls may be made of wattle All other forms are varied
(bamboo splints woven together arrangements of ekasalas
and covered with a mud plaster)
• Roofs made of wooden poles,
bamboo and reed, and thatched
with grass
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/142027/12/12_chapter%205.pdf
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/142027/12/12_chapter%205.pdf
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/142027/12/12_chapter%205.pdf
+ artistic expression

Kerala: Domestic and Religious Architecture

 • Accurate joinery, artful
assembly and delicate
carving of wood work
for columns, walls and
roofs frames are the
unique characteristics
of Kerala
Gable, Padmanabhapuram palace

Charupadi, Padmanabhapuram palace

Wooden walls, Padmanabhapuram palace
 Padmanabhaswamy
Temple

Gopuram

Stone pillars

Gopuram detail
Traditional Mosque at
Thazhathangady in Kottayam
Japanese architecture
Japanese Architecture
• Austere construction methods, lightweight
materials and porous boundaries between inside
and outside
• Beliefs: Spiritual realm was manifest in nature
• Attentive proximity to nature developed and
reinforced an aesthetic that avoided artifice
• Natural qualities of building materials were given
special prominence in art and architecture
• Union with the natural was also an element of
Japanese architecture
• Elements such as long verandas and multiple sliding
panels offered constant vistas on nature —although
the nature was often carefully arranged and fabricated
rather than wild and real
 Typical structure
• Post and lintels support a large
and gently curved roof
• Walls are paper-thin, often
movable and never load-bearing
• Roof is most visually impressive
component; often half the size of Section of traditional temple
the whole edifice
• Slightly curved eaves extend far
beyond the walls, covering
verandas
• Weight of eaves supported by
complex bracket systems
• Temples and shrines usually
stressed the horizontal and
were often relatively small
and hidden by trees and
other natural objects

• Gardens: Aesthetic principles

Silver Pavilion, Kyoto, Zen
• Miniature and idealized view Buddhist temple
of nature
• Concealment: hidden to be
later revealed
• Asymmetry: Buildings and
garden features are usually
placed to be seen from a
diagonal
 Traditional Japanese house characteristics
• Dominance of wood:
• Preferred over stone and other
materials because of ever-present
risk of earthquakes
• Used in natural form showing its
grain
• Movable screens and sliding
doors:
• Used to divide and re-divide rooms
as needed
• Screens tended to be light and
papered, allowing some natural
light (and shadows) into the rooms

https://www.rethinktokyo.com/2017/12/12/6-elements-japanese-traditional-architecture/1513026009
• Tatami mats: regulated a Traditional
building's size and dimensions Japanese house
• Made of rice straw and soft rush characteristics
straw
• Used for a large part of the flooring
in houses; people usually sat on
floors
• Provided a soft surface on which to
sit and sleep (cushions and futons
were used in lieu of chairs and
beds)
• Verandas
• Genkan: Sunken space between the
front door (dirty space, area for footwear)
and the rest of the house
• Relationship with nature
https://www.rethinktokyo.com/2017/12/12/6-elements-japanese-traditional-architecture/1513026009