Introduction

To
History of World Architecture

Lecture by:
Prof. Eswara Rao Petta
What is History
History is the “study of past events” through branch of knowledge that
records and analyzes past events.

Or

A chronological account of past events of a period in the life or of

peoples development.

History tells about, what is known of human lives and societies in the
past.

History concern of all serious historians has been to collect and record
facts about the human past and often to discover new facts.
What is Architecture
It is an art and science of designing and constructing buildings.

Several writers are defined in various ways expressing its precise

meaning as per its relation to the human experience.

Lethaby (An English Architectural historian) has defined as “Architecture

is the matrix of civilization”

The word architecture has been derived from two words ‘Arch’ and
‘Tecture’

Arch is meant to support the structure over the pillars or supports

Tecture meant for the technique of providing support in the building .

Introduction to Architecture:
What is Architecture?
It is the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.
It is the style in which a building is designed and constructed.
It is the art and technique of designing and building
Architecture can be defined as durability, utility and beauty at the right time and
at the right cost (defined on De architecture by Vitruvius ).
Architecture is the masterly correct and the magnificent play of masses brought
together in light (defined by Le Corbusier).
Architecture began in
General human needs like food, clothing and shelter),
Intellectual needs like education, science and government)
Emotional needs like religion and art recreation)
Influence of nature like climate, topography and materials;
Influence of society like social condition during course of time;
Human interest like construction of house, factory, church etc.
What is History of Architecture
The history of shelters men have built for themselves and for their
gods.

It is the history of way of life: Architecture is part of our personal

history.

we are born, work and play, learn and teach and worship, we sell and
buy, etc in buildings.

It is the history of the rise, development and decadence of building

techniques.

It is an expression of what men thought of life and death of each

other and of their gods.
Why do we need to study History of Architecture
 To learn from others,
 By studying particular solutions architects gain better understanding
of how their own problems differ or might be solved,
 By understanding the complexity of past architectural problems
today's architects will be less inclined to simplistic solutions that leave
out important human and architectural factors
 It opens up the enjoyment of contemporary buildings with an
appreciation of their purpose, meaning, and charm (attractiveness)

Basis for Birth of Architecture:

Birth of Architecture
Fear:
From primitive times, human has been trying to protect himself from the
attack of wild animals, harsh climate and so on.
For this, he was created his own dwelling which kept on changing in time
and need.
With advancement in his intelligence desires for safety, comfort and
luxury increased which resulted in development of various structures to
protect from various dangerous agents.

Love:
The skill of love gave birth to many works of architectural monumental
works.

Example Taj Mahal in India is one of great architectural monument

constructed on the basis of love.
Why do we History of Architecture
Death:
Death of human also has been causes for many architectural
constructions.

So many historical architectural monuments like Toms and Mastabs are

the example of this category monument.

Hope:
The human hope leads development of different architectural monuments
like Pyramids, temples, churches, Buddhist stupa and other places of
worship have come up share false hope of the man.
History of Architecture Classification
The architectural history classified in the following based on the era
belongs to the human such as:
Prehistoric architecture or Ancient architecture;
Pre-classical architecture;
Medieval architecture:
Modern architecture and
High-Tech Architecture.

Prehistoric architecture:
This is belongs from the origins of mankind in the mists (difficult to
understand ) of ice age period down to the beginnings of recorded
history.

This history of architecture mostly belongs to stone, bronze and Iron Age
like Paleolithic, Neolithic etc.
History of Architecture Classification
Pre-classical architecture:
This is the first notable development of architecture
It was found in the fertile Valley of the Nile.
This history of architecture was belongs to 3 rd millennium of before
Christ.
The best example for this history of architecture is the history of Egyptian
and Mesopotamians architecture.

Medieval architecture:
Fine art of illuminating (painting) manuscripts begins with the Egyptian
Book of the Dead.
Irish and English monasteries of the Middle Ages produce manuscripts
featuring elaborate ornamentation with animal forms.
Islamic, Jewish, and Indian manuscripts achieve equal glory.
History of Architecture Classification
Modern architecture:
This is throughout human history has been a relatively static medium,
never really expanding into uncharted waters too often.
It seemed doomed to repeat itself over generations, reviving the old
styles and techniques in which people are comfortable with.
With the advent of the Modern movement, Architecture received its just
revolution, inspiring more architects than any other architectural style.
High-Tech Architecture:
High-tech architecture is also known as Structural Expressionism;
It is a type of Late Modern architectural style that emerged in the 1970s,
incorporating elements of high-tech industry and technology into building
design.
High-tech architecture appeared as revamped modernism, an extension
of those previous ideas helped by even more technological advances.
The study of Architectural History is always related with the different
factors of influencing on the development of architectural development
on a period of time.
Architectural Influencing Factors
The development of architecture is always depends up on:

The Geological factors:

Physical location of the region;
Availability of different types of building materials
The Environmental factors:
Climatic features of the region
Seasonal rainfall, flooding, drought etc.
The Historical factors:
Political developments
Religious developments
Cultural developments
The Socio-Economical factors:
Social structure of the region
Economical conditions
Trade and commerce.
Final Understandings
Architecture (building) is one of the most accessible and involving forms
of “Art and Science”.
d ing
A building is a physical presence of human beings that defines everyday u il
b
experiences, mood and part of collective memory and cultural identity. the
to
n s
Therefore an essential need of history of architectural , r
study;
e
rn n c
t he t t e co
Therefore, history of architectural s a l
The history of architecture gives i l p study
nea acomprehensive t icais theand dearest
overview friend
about
m ri c c
for students
design who design
and construction a tobuildings
xthe
of different
e buildings p ra or different
at different buildings.
era.
ry d h is
t o e se
h is t an f th
The history of architectural l
a tex urstudy e , o will leads to under stand the “Basic
t u r n ct h i p
Ideas of Architecture”. c o
h it al stru ions
e c
a rc ysic t of lat
The study dy ofpharchitectural
e n re history guides the students about architecture
s t u t of pm t he
or hbuilding
e ac design e lo nd through the rich history of the architecture discipline .
T mp ev a
I
 he ia d l s
r
T explores
It will
a t e
s . the process of architecture starting from the initial ideas
M ces for design of building with respect of site etc.
and concepts
o
pr
Thank you