UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

C.M. RECTO AVENUE, LAPASAN, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, 9000 MISAMIS ORIENTAL, PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION ON THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

ARCH114: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1

PREPARED BY:

AR. AIMEELOU JEAN DEMETRIO, UAP

 ARCH 114: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION ON THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

I. HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
o Architectural manifestation of thoughts from the beginning of civilization to the Byzantine Period.

II. COURSE OUTCOMES

o To UNDERSTAND the evolution of architecture from the Pre-historic times to the Byzantine Period.
o To INDENTIFY a particular architectural styles from one another.
o To CREATE a comparative analysis of the architectural styles during the periods covered.

III. SIX INFLUENCES OF ARCHITECTURE

o STRUCTURAL FORCES
1. Geographical Influence
o Cultures, societies and civilizations are greatly affected by the natural environment, because humans will
react and modify its surroundings for it to be habitable.
2. Geological Influence
o Architecture is shaped though adapting into different geological make-up of its location and environment
especially on areas that have frequent geological phenomena (e.g. Earthquakes, Landslides, etc.).
3. Climatic Influence
o Climate has an essential influence in governing architecture since it primarily challenges one of the basic
needs of humans – shelter. This also signifies the adaptability of architecture for its occupants to survive
natural climatic phenomena.
o CIVILIZING FORCES
4. Religious Influence
o Belief systems all over the world vary and have a great influence on architecture since the beginning of
time. Religious faiths have intertwined with art and architecture and produced memorable architectural
feats throughout the history of humankind.
5. Social Influence
o This influence came from society’s relationship with each other. Society’s ideas, values, beliefs, activities,
relationships, social structures and organizations influence architecture either positively or negatively.
Society produces architecture and in return architecture maintains its social forms.
6. Historical Influence
o For thousands of years, knowledge, occasions and traditions have been passed down throughout the
generations which have greatly contributed in influencing architecture all over the world. In every country,
city or town, architecture has been shaped by the story of its place. These are reflected on dwellings,
town centers, civic buildings, urban design and etc.

IV. FOUR GREAT CONSTRUCTIVE PRINCIPLES

1. Post & Lintel Construction
o “… a system in which two upright members, the posts, hold up a third member, the lintel, laid
horizontally across their top surfaces. All structural openings have evolved from this system, which is seen
in pure form only in colonnades and in framed structures, because the posts of doors, windows, ceilings,
and roofs normally form part of the wall.” ("Post-and-lintel," The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Britannica.com 2018)
2. Arch & Vault Construction
o “… a fundamental construction system in architecture used to span the space between walls, piers, or
other supports and to create a roof or a ceiling. Until the 19th century the arch and vault were the only
alternative to the far more limited and simpler post-and-lintel system supporting a flat or peaked beamed
roof.” ("Arch and Vault," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000)

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 ARCH 114: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I

Figure 1 Post-and-Lintel and Arch-and -Vault Systems

3. Corbel or Cantilever Construction

o “Corbel, in architecture, bracket or weight-carrying member, built deeply into the wall so that the pressure
on its embedded portion counteracts any tendency to overturn or fall outward. The name derives from a
French word meaning crow, because of the corbel’s beaklike shape.” ("Corbel," The Editors of Encyclopaedia
Britannica, Britannica.com, 2018)
o “Cantilever, beam supported at one end and carrying a load at the other end or distributed along the
unsupported portion. The upper half of the thickness of such a beam is subjected to tensile stress, tending
to elongate the fibres, the lower half to compressive stress, tending to crush them.” ("Canteliver," The
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica.com, 2018)
4. Trussed Construction
o “Truss, in engineering, a structural member usually fabricated from straight pieces of metal or timber to
form a series of triangles lying in a single plane. A triangle cannot be distorted by stress.” ("Truss," The
Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica.com, 2018)

Figure 2 Illustration from James Stevens Curl's Dictionary of Architecture, Oxford Press, 2005

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Figure 3 Illustration from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2012

Figure 4 Illustration from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2012

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REFERENCES
 Ching, F.D.K. (2012). A Visual Dictionary Of Architecture 2nd Edition. Hoboken : John Wiley & Sons.
 Ching;F.D.K., Jarzombek, M.; Prakash, V. (2017). A Global History of Architecture 3rd Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey:
Wiley.
 Curl, J.S. (2005). Dictionary of Architecture. UK: Magpie Books.
 Espina, Kevin (2013) ‘History of Architecture’ [Powerpoint Presentation]. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/joannaPG/history-of-arch
 Fleming, J., Honour, H., Pevsner, N (1974). A Dictionary of Architecture. Great Britain: Richard Clay (The Chaucer
Press) Ltd.
 Fletcher, B., Sir; Cruickshank, D. (1996). Sir Banister Fletcher's A History Of Architecture 20TH Edition. Oxford;
Boston: Architectural Press.
 Gascoigne, Bamber (2001, ongoing). HistoryWorld. Retrieved from http://www.historyworld.net
 Marvin Perry; Daniel F Davis; Jeannette G Harris; Theodore H Von Laue; Donald Jr Warren (1985). A History of the
World Revised Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
 Neil Collins MA LLB (2008, ongoing). Architecture History. Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-
cork.com/architecture-history.htm
 Stokstad, M. Collin, B.R., Addiss, S. (1999). Art History Revised Editon Volume One. New York: H.N. Abrams.

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