Evolution of Architectural Styles

by Arch. Franz Allan M. Rodriguez, uap

Function & History

•The buildings of the past were developed because of definite and

tangible needs.
•The functions determine their plan, shape and treatment.
•Knowing the past would aid in solving today’s problems.
•Art & Architecture went through three (3) very definitely
recognized phases in the course of their development.

1. ARCHAIC – saw the groping of untried hands in an attempt to

master new problems & new media, on effort to find an
expression for a new material.
Function & History

2. MASTERY – the buildings or art produced during this

time show that the designer or artist has discovered
how to control his medium & is sure of his technique
& performance. This is the height of the
development.
Function & History

3. DECADENCE – is marked with the artist becoming too sure of

himself & begins to take liberties with his materials. His designs
were less structural & were too ornate.
“This marks the decline & is the beginning of the end.”
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period
Greek – more of the temple & theatre
type of architecture. Attention to the
design was founded on the exterior to
satisfy outside worship.

Construction was the post &

lintel.

Greek Architecture stresses

refinement of line & simplicity
of detail. It has clarity, strength
& repose.
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period
Greek
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period
Greek
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period
Greek

Telamon

Canephora Caryatids
Atlas
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period

Roman– where the appeal of

Greek architecture is spiritual, that of
the Romans is often pretentious. The
builders of the Roman Empire are
tagged as engineers than architects.
They built magnificent temple,
palaces, baths. They developed round
arch & pier.
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period

Roman
Roman structures are richly ornate but
less fundamental (as oppose to Greeks)
 Architectural Movements of the Classical Period

Roman

Tuscan Composite
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Romanesque– this is a church architecture

period. Instead of depending upon stability impaired
by sheer mass, it employed the round arch & vault.
This architectural style is honest in its use of brick &
stone, direct & vigorous in its arrangement of mass
& detail.
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Romanesque
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Gothic– the activity of

the period was a result of
intense religious passion–
the spiritual urge which
found an outlet in
consummation of the
soaring, vertical quality of
cathedrals.

Notable features are pointed

arches, slender piers, flying
buttresses, together with
stained glass windows, etc.
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Gothic
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Classical Ornaments (Grotesque)

Griffin

Gargoyle

Chimera
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Classical Ornaments

Star of David Rosette Anthemion

Chi-Rho

Cross

Fleur De Lis
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Classical Ornaments

Coronet

Palmette
Festoon

Broken Pediment
Swan’s Neck
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Classical Ornaments
 Architectural Movements of the Medieval Period

Classical Ornaments
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period

Renaissance– demonstrated a conscious revival

and development of certain elements of ancient
Greek and Roman thought and material culture.

Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and

the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of classical
antiquity and in particular ancient Roman architecture, of which many
examples remained.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano
The Papal Basilica of Saint
Peter officially known in Italian
as and commonly known as Saint
Peter's Basilica, is a Late
Renaissance church located within
the Vatican City. Saint Peter's
Basilica has the largest interior of
any Christian church in the world.
Contrary to belief, it is not the
Pope’s seat but the Papal
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran ,
also located in Rome
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Filippo Brunelleschi was a Florentine architect
and one of the initiators of the Italian
Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for
inventing linear perspective and designing the
dome of the Florence Cathedral or the
Duomo.Brunelleschi made a design feature of
the necessary eight ribs of the vault, carrying
them over to the exterior of the dome, where
they provide the framework for the dome's
decorative elements, which also include
architectural reliefs, circular windows, and a
beautifully proportioned cupola.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario
On December 8, 1829 , Culiat was
made into a new town with the
gracious name of “ANGELES” in
honor of the Holy Guardian Angels,
which became the Titular Patrons,
and also for being the namesake of
the founder Don Angel. The Church
authorities placed the new town
under the patronage and
protection of the Most Holy Virgin
of the Rosary.

The Holy Rosary Church is a living

monument. It is not only to the
engineering and architectural skills
of a certain Don Antonio de la
Camara from Manila.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Baroque– is reflected in opulent and
dramatic churches with irregular shapes and
extravagant ornamentation.
It is characterized by new explorations of form,
light and shadow and dramatic intensity.
Fragmentary or deliberately incomplete
architectural elements
Has large-scale ceiling frescoes.
Baroque emphasized the symmetry of forms
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Baroque
Betis Church or the Parish
Church of St. James the Apostle
The main attraction of the Church is the original
ceiling mural done by the famous painter Simon
Flores (1839-1904). The retablo, a classic altar, is
ornately decorated with carved designs. The religious
frescoes in the ceiling and murals on the wall with its
intricate sculpture and paintings in gold dust are
reminiscent of the Renaissance age of European Art.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period
Baroque
San Guillermo Parish Church
Bacolor is one of the oldest towns
in the Philippines. The church was
originally constructed by the
Augustinian Friars in 1576. The
church boasts of having main
retablo, side retablos and pulpit
that are heavily gilded with gold
leaves. The rich decorations of the
church depict the Baroque style of
architecture. Only half of the
original facade of the church can
be seen today due to the eruption
of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which
half-buried the church.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period

Rococo
Baroque artists gave up their
symmetry and became increasingly
ornate, florid, and playful. It is
seen as a combination of the
French rocaille, meaning
stone, and coquilles,
meaning shell, due to reliance
on these objects as motifs of
decoration. It was a lighter, more
graceful, yet also more elaborate
version of Baroque architecture.
Details include tree branches,
clouds, flowers, sea shells, surf,
coral, seaweed, spray, and scrolls.
Rococo emphasized the asymmetry
of forms.
 Architectural Movements of the 15th to 18th Period

Rococo