History of Architecture 1_MODULE#1

Lecture 1: Introduction to History of Architecture 1

WHAT IS ARCHITECTURE?
-The art and science, process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or any other
structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as
works of art.
-• "It is a record of man's effort to build beautifully. It traces the origin, growth and decline of architectural styles
which have prevailed lands and ages.
-art of making beautiful buildings & structures, union of firmness, aesthetic, commodity / function
- Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
10 Books Of Architecture
Only surviving Contemporary book on Classical architecture, they set out not only the classical orders, uses
but every other matter related to architecture.

Architectural Typology
1. Domestic
2. Religious
3. Educational
4. Commercial
5. Industrial
6. Civic

FACTORS INFLUENCING ARCHITECTURE

1. Geography – Concerned with the Surface of the earth; location
2. Geology – Abundance and scarcity of materials.
3. Climate - condition of atmosphere through period of time.
4. Religion – Beliefs
5. Social and Political – Culture, Lifestyle, social Status
6. History – Collective data of past happenings

HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE

Architecture in Prehistoric Times

- humans constructed earthen mounds, stone circles, megaliths, and structures
- includes monumental structures such as Stonehenge, cliff dwellings in the Americas, and thatch and mud
structures.

Ancient Egypt
3,050 BC to 900 BC
- powerful rulers constructed monumental pyramids, temples, and shrines.
- enormous structures such as the Pyramids of Giza were feats of engineering capable of reaching great heights.

Classical
850 BC to 476 AD
- the rise of ancient Greece until the fall of the Roman empire
- great buildings were constructed according to precise rules
- The Classical Orders, which defined column styles and entablature designs, continue to influence building design in
modern times.
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Byzantine
527 to 565 AD.
- the capital of the Roman empire moved to Byzantium (now called Istanbul) in 330 AD
- Roman architecture evolved into a graceful, classically-inspired style
- used brick instead of stone, domed roofs, elaborate mosaics, and classical forms
- Emperor Justinian (527 AD to 565 AD) led the way.

Romanesque
800 to 1200 AD
- heavier, stocky Romanesque architecture with rounded arches emerged.
- Churches and castles of the early Medieval period were constructed with thick walls and heavy piers.

Gothic Architecture
1100 to 1450 AD
- Pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, flying buttresses, and other innovations led to taller, more graceful architecture.
- Gothic ideas gave rise to magnificent cathedrals like Chartres and Notre Dame.

Renaissance Architecture
1400 to 1600 AD
- return to classical ideas ushered an "age of awakening" in Italy, France, and England.
- Andrea Palladio and other builders looked the classical orders of ancient Greece and Rome.
- Long after the Renaissance era ended, architects in the Western world found inspiration in the beautifully
proportioned architecture of the period.

Baroque Architecture
1600 to 1830 AD
- the Baroque style is reflected in opulent and dramatic churches with irregular shapes and extravagant
ornamentation.
- In France, the highly ornamented Baroque style combines with Classical restraint.
- Russian aristocrats were impressed by Versailles in France, and incorporated Baroque ideas in the building of St.
Petersburg.
- Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are found throughout Europe.

Rococo Architecture
1650 to 1790 AD
- the last phase of the Baroque period
- builders constructed graceful white buildings with sweeping curves.
- Rococo buildings are elegantly decorated with scrolls, vines, shell-shapes, and delicate geometric patterns.

Neoclassicism in Architecture
1730 to 1925 AD
- keen interest in ideas of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio inspired a return of classical shapes in Europe,
Great Britain and the United States.
- buildings were proportioned according to the classical orders with details borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome.

Art Nouveau Architecture

1890 to 1914 AD
- known as the New Style
- first expressed in fabrics and graphic design, the style spread to architecture and furniture in the 1890s.
- buildings often have asymmetrical shapes, arches and decorative surfaces with curved, plant-like designs.
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Beaux Arts Architecture

1895 to 1925 AD
- also known as Beaux Arts Classicism, Academic Classicism, or Classical Revival,
- architecture is characterized by order, symmetry, formal design, grandiosity, and elaborate ornamentation.

Neo-Gothic Architecture
1905 to 1930 AD
- Gothic ideas were applied to modern buildings
- Gargoyles, arched windows, and other medieval details ornamented soaring skyscrapers.

Art Deco Architecture

1925 to 1937 AD
- Zigzag patterns and vertical lines create dramatic effect on jazz-age
- many Art Deco motifs were inspired by the architecture of ancient Egypt.

Modernist Styles in Architecture

1900 to Present.
- dramatic changes and astonishing diversity.
- trends include Art Moderne and the Bauhaus school coined by Walter Gropius, Deconstructivism, Formalism,
Modernism, and Structuralism.

Postmodernism in Architecture
1972 to Present.
- reaction against the Modernist approaches gave rise to new buildings that re-invented historical details and familiar
motifs.
- ideas that date back to classical and ancient times.

REFERENCES:

http://atlas-cdc.blogspot.com/2017/10/history-of-architecture-timeline-of.html

http://crowdsociety.org/index.php/100_projects_of_crowdfunding_in_architecture#building_typologies

A VISUAL DICTIONARY OF ARCHITECTURE, FRANCIS D.K. CHING