However, it began much earlier than that. There are some fine examples of prehistoric architecture — such as Stonehenge — that show how prehistoric people shifted earth and stone to create geometric structures. The Bronze Age in particular would lay the foundations for metalworking, which would be a huge influence on architectural development.
This time period also saw complex fortifications, such as nuraghi round towers constructed in places such as Sardinia and advanced graves and tombs from this period can be found all over Europe.
Probably most famous for the pyramids, the Ancient Egyptians drove architecture forward at a considerable pace during the period 3, B. Engineering capabilities were significantly advanced in this era, allowing the Egyptians to create their famous structures, which could reach great heights.
These designs achieved such vertical reach because of the wide pyramid base that was designed to support them. Outside of the pyramids the Egyptians were renowned for using closely placed columns in multiple numbers to support structures, as opposed to load bearing arches. There is no doubt that the classical architecture of Ancient Greece had a huge influence on the builders and engineers of centuries that followed. The first Doric column was created by the Greeks as early as BC and was used to great effect in some of the most iconic buildings of the time, such as the Parthenon in Athens.
At around the same time the Ancient Greeks were also pioneering the use of fired-clay roof tiles. Like the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Greeks were fond of using architecture as a way to demonstrate wealth and power, especially when it came to temples. In many ways the Roman Empire took what the Egyptians and Ancient Greeks had begun and expanded on it considerably. This was also a civilisation that favoured the construction of impressive and heavily detailed temples but these differed from the Greek designs, as they were often circular.
Many of the buildings that the Romans were responsible for were highly ornamented and their use of concrete was the beginning of a new era in construction. It was this that enabled the Romans to be so ambitious in terms of their architectural plans, incorporating design features, such as arches and domes. The Romans also broadened out the range of materials used in construction, from marble and volcanic rock to unburned bricks faced with stucco, which were particularly characteristic of earlier Roman architecture.
It was this civilisation that also pioneered the creation of public buildings, such as baths and theatres. We also owe the concept of town planning largely to the developments that took place during the Roman era.
Architectural style evolved into something much more graceful through the Byzantine and Romanesque periods. It was during — that the majority of architecture began to use brick instead of stone, changing forever the way that buildings would be constructed.
Domed roofs and elaborate mosaics appeared in many religious constructions. Christian buildings provide some fine examples of the ways in which Western Architecture was changing, such as the first Christian basilicas in Rome and, later, the Hagia Sophia in Turkey.
The use of rounded arches was a particularly prominent architectural style during this time, especially in the construction of churches and cathedrals. The Gothic period marked another shift in the evolution of architecture with construction that was characterised by elements that could support taller and more elaborate building. Flying buttresses, ribbed vaulting and pointed arches meant that buildings could be designed to reach much higher without sacrificing anything to style.
Tracery on stonework, as well as elaborate stained glass windows, characterise some of the most influential buildings of the Gothic period, including Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Between the Gothic period and the arrival of the industrial revolution there were a number of key architectural styles that made a big impact, including Rococo, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassicism.
Baroque and Rococo in particular pioneered the use of lavish details and finishing not really seen before in architectural design. The Palace of Versailles in France is a great example of the complexity and opulence that this period was responsible for.
Mass availability of iron and glass meant that buildings could be made taller from materials that were much lighter, and glass porches, roofing and domes could be added into construction design.
In recent years the biggest influence on architecture has been the availability of technology, such as computer programming and software. This has made ever more ambitious projects possible, from eco structures through to those that appear to defy gravity. It is the first book that tackled architectural theories and style such as those of the Greeks and the Romans. While this concept not only applies to buildings, it has always been wrongly credited to American sculptor Horatio Grenough.
Building is actually a craft and first started out as using whatever materials were available. Architecture is a more formal and respectable kind of craft. In ancient civilizations, their architecture is associated with the supernatural and the divine, and at times a symbolic representation of the current ruler, the elite, or the state. The Greek and the Roman styles of architecture took inspiration and evolved from civic ideals rather than religious ones.
Islamic architecture, like ancient civilizations, molded their architecture around their religious needs but also considered the needs of the society. In Europe, the major buildings during the middle ages were the abbeys and cathedrals. Merchants, tradesmen, and clerics who travelled spread architectural knowledge throughout Europe which resulted in the Romanesque and Gothic styles. Classical learning was revived in the s in Renaissance Europe where specific architects such as Brunelleschi and Michelangelo thrived.
The Hellenistic period ended with conquests by the Roman Empire. They used Corinthian and composite style columns along with decorative brackets. The invention of concrete allowed the Romans to build arches, vaults, and domes. Much of this ancient architecture is in ruins or partially rebuilt.
Virtual reality programs like Romereborn. After Constantine moved the capital of the Roman empire to Byzantium now called Istanbul in Turkey in CE, Roman architecture evolved into a graceful, classically-inspired style that used brick instead of stone, domed roofs, elaborate mosaics, and classical forms.
Emperor Justinian to led the way. Eastern and Western traditions combined in the sacred buildings of the Byzantine period. Buildings were designed with a central dome that eventually rose to new heights by using engineering practices refined in the Middle East.
This era of architectural history was transitional and transformational. As Rome spread across Europe, heavier, stocky Romanesque architecture with rounded arches emerged. Churches and castles of the early Medieval period were constructed with thick walls and heavy piers. Even as the Roman Empire faded, Roman ideas reached far across Europe.
Built between and , the Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse, France is a good example of this transitional architecture, with a Byzantine-domed apse and an added Gothic-like steeple.
The floor plan is that of the Latin cross, Gothic-like again, with a high alter and tower at the cross intersection. Constructed of stone and brick, St. Sernin is on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Early in the 12th century, new ways of building meant that cathedrals and other large buildings could soar to new heights. Gothic architecture became characterized by the elements that supported taller, more graceful architecture— innovations such as pointed arches, flying buttresses , and ribbed vaulting.
In addition, elaborate stained glass could take the place of walls that no longer were used to support high ceilings. Gargoyles and other sculpting enabled practical and decorative functions. Many of the world's most well-known sacred places are from this period in architectural history, including Chartres Cathedral and Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral in France and Dublin's St.
Patrick's Cathedral and Adare Friary in Ireland. Gothic architecture began mainly in France where builders began to adapt the earlier Romanesque style. Builders were also influenced by the pointed arches and elaborate stonework of Moorish architecture in Spain.
One of the earliest Gothic buildings was the ambulatory of the abbey of St. Denis in France, built between and Originally, Gothic architecture was known as the French Style. During the Renaissance, after the French Style had fallen out of fashion, artisans mocked it. They coined the word Gothic to suggest that French Style buildings were the crude work of German Goth barbarians. Although the label wasn't accurate, the name Gothic remained. While builders were creating the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, painters and sculptors in northern Italy were breaking away from rigid medieval styles and laying the foundation for the Renaissance.
Art historians call the period between to the Early Renaissance or the Proto-Renaissance of art history. Fascination for medieval Gothic architecture was reawakened in the 19th and 20th centuries. Architects in Europe and the United States designed great buildings and private homes that imitated the cathedrals of medieval Europe.
If a building looks Gothic and has Gothic elements and characteristics, but it was built in the s or later, its style is Gothic Revival. A return to Classical ideas ushered an "age of awakening" in Italy, France, and England.
During the Renaissance era architects and builders were inspired by the carefully proportioned buildings of ancient Greece and Rome. Italian Renaissance master Andrea Palladio helped awaken a passion for classical architecture when he designed beautiful, highly symmetrical villas such as Villa Rotonda near Venice, Italy.
More than 1, years after the Roman architect Vitruvius wrote his important book, the Renaissance architect Giacomo da Vignola outlined Vitruvius's ideas. In this book, Palladio showed how Classical rules could be used not just for grand temples but also for private villas. Palladio's ideas did not imitate the Classical order of architecture but his designs were in the manner of ancient designs. The work of the Renaissance masters spread across Europe, and long after the era ended, architects in the Western world would find inspiration in the beautifully proportioned architecture of the period.
In the United States its descendant designs have been called neoclassical. Early in the s, an elaborate new architectural style lavished buildings. What became known as Baroque was characterized by complex shapes, extravagant ornaments, opulent paintings, and bold contrasts.
In Italy, 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 the Palace of Versailles, France and incorporated Baroque ideas in the building of St.
Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are found throughout Europe. Architecture was only one expression of the Baroque style. In music, famous names included Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. Famous inventors and scientists of the day include Blaise Pascal and Isaac Newton. During the last phase of the Baroque period, builders constructed graceful white buildings with sweeping curves.
Rococo art and architecture is characterized by elegant decorative designs with scrolls, vines, shell-shapes, and delicate geometric patterns. Rococo architects applied Baroque ideas with a lighter, more graceful touch. In fact, some historians suggest that Rococo is simply a later phase of the Baroque period.
By the s, European architects were turning away from elaborate Baroque and Rococo styles in favor of restrained Neoclassical approaches. Orderly, symmetrical Neoclassical architecture reflected the intellectual awakening among the middle and upper classes in Europe during the period historians often call the Enlightenment. Ornate Baroque and Rococo styles fell out of favor as architects for a growing middle class reacted to and rejected the opulence of the ruling class.
French and American revolutions returned design to Classical ideals—including equality and democracy—emblematic of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. These buildings were proportioned according to the classical orders with details borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome. In the late s and early s, the newly-formed United States drew upon Classical ideals to construct grand government buildings and an array of smaller, private homes.
The style spread to architecture and furniture in the s as a revolt against industrialization turned people's attention to the natural forms and personal craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Art Nouveau buildings often have asymmetrical shapes, arches, and decorative Japanese-like surfaces with curved, plant-like designs and mosaics.
The period is often confused with Art Deco , which has an entirely different visual look and philosophical origin. Note that the name Art Nouveau is French, but the philosophy—to some extent spread by the ideas of William Morris and the writings of John Ruskin —gave rise to similar movements throughout Europe.
In Germany it was called Jugendstil ; in Austria it was Sezessionsstil ; in Spain it was Modernismo , which predicts or event begins the modern era. Also known as Beaux Arts Classicism, Academic Classicism, or Classical Revival, Beaux Arts architecture is characterized by order, symmetry, formal design, grandiosity, and elaborate ornamentation.
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