Hi, how are you? I hope everybody’s doing fine. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Mikaela Buenaventura Rebusi, a first year student of Architecture.
Here is my E-portfolio for the history of Architecture.
History of Architecture is the study of the chronological records of events (as affecting a nation or people) based on a critical examination of architectural source materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes from ancient periods to the present day. In other words, 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.
There are 6 influential factors in architecture; (1) geography, (2) geology, (3) climate, (4) religion, (5) social and political, (6) culture and (7) history. Geography is often a key factor in shaping the design of behavioral healthcare facility and influence design choices such as color, materials, lighting, or structural elements of a building. A behavioral healthcare facility in a rainy suburb of Settle may look nothing like facility in a hot desert like Arizona. Full knowledge of geology may increase the strength, stability and durability of a project. Architecture intentionally modifies the climate of an immediate area-and traditionally, its design has been shaped by the stresses and opportunities inherent in the regional climate. Architecture is the process that directly related to the people’s beliefs and in general, their religion. As we observed that every region and country has its own architecture, we can find that religion plays a major role in architecture. Architecture represents and symbolizes our values and enacts vision of social order. It is not merely a backdrop of political life, but an important political agent itself. Architecture as a matter of human life reflects the culture in every society interacting closely with structural, historical, political, economic and social features of society.
Comparative Table of Architectural Styles (6 Influencing Factors)
DISCUSSION ABOUT AEGEAN & GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Ancient Greece was used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. It refers not only to the geographical peninsula of modern Greece, but comprises of Hellenic culture that were settled in ancient times by Greeks: Cyprus, the Aegean coast of Turkey, Sicily and southern Italy and the scattered Greek settlements on the coasts of what is now Albania, Bulgaria, Egypt, southern France, Libya, Romania, Catalonia, and Ukraine. Greek art involves paintings, sculpture, buildings and decorative arts produced from about 3000-30BC. The importance of Greek architecture to history of western civilization can hardly be overstated. Greek artists were the first to establish mimesis (imitation of nature) as a guiding principle for art. The description of the nude human figure in Greek art reflects Greek humanism – a believe that ‘Man is the measure of all things’. Its primary subject matter of the art is the human figure, which may represent gods or mortals, monsters, animals and plants. Greek architecture is a legacy that the west has inherited, as they established many of the most enduring themes, attitudes and forms of western culture.
Parthenon
Parthenon is the most important and characteristic monument of the ancient Greek and still remains its international symbol. It is dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens. It is built about 447-432BC under the leadership of Pericles, by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates. Pheidias, a Greek sculptor in conjunction with other sculptors supervised the design of its sculptures. The temple is built in the Doric order and almost exclusively of marble. It is a rectangular peripteral-octastyle temple with eight columns on each of the narrow sides and seventeen columns on the long sides. The central part of the temple called the cella, housed the famous cult statue of Athena.
Temple of Athena Nike
Temple of Athena Nike was constructed around 420BC by the architect Callicrates. It was built in the Ionic order, and it is amphiprostyle (building with columns at each ends) with a row of columns in front of each of its narrow sides. Columns are short in proportion to diameter, perhaps to avoid too great a contrast with Propylaea. For the first time in Greece, architrave has three fasciae.
Erechtheion
Erechtheion was built around 420 BC in the Ionic order with the famous entrance porch on the south. It was designed by Mnesikles with an unusual and irregular plan. The main temple was divided into two sections dedicated to the worship of the two principal gods of Athens – Athena and Poseidon. It is laid out in an unusual asymmetrical plan. A six-columned porch on the eastern facade is mirrored by six engaged Ionic columns on the western facade, which has no porch. The columned porches on the north and south sides are not centered, but are placed toward the western end of the building. The northern porch is larger than that on the south, and awkwardly extends beyond the west side of the building. The southern porch, sometimes called the Porch of the Maidens, has six marble maidens called caryatids that support the entablature in place of columns. The irregular plan of the Erechtheum can probably be explained by a need for it to incorporate several sacred places of worship already on the site. It was characterized by three porches and was constructed at two different levels (one side being 3.2meters below the rest).
Propylaea
Propylaea is the monumental gateway of the Acropolis on its steep western approach. It was designed by the architect Mnesikles and constructed in 437-432BC. It comprises of a central building and two lateral wings. The colonnades along the west and east sides had a row of Doric columns while two rows of Ionic columns divided the central corridor into three parts
Acropolis
Acropolis is derived from two Greek words; akros – highest and polis – city. It is a fortified natural stronghold or the “Sacred Rock” of Athens, in ancient Greece, and it is the most important site of the town. It provided a place of refuge for the populace during times of war and also sanctuary for the ruler of the town. It served as the town’s religious center and the focal point of its public life. The best-known acropolis of the ancient Greece is the Acropolis of Athens. It was built on a limestone hill that rises about 150 meters above sea level. In 480 BC, the Persians destroyed the Archaic temples and monuments on the Acropolis, and for decades there was no major construction there.
CLASSWORK
(AEGEAN ARCHITECTURE)
(GREEK ARCHITECTURE)
When we’re studying lesson about Aegean and Greek architecture, these activities were given to us by our instructor. Our tasks related in Aegean architecture were to determine the characteristics of Aegean civilizations (Minoans, Mycenaean and Cycladic) and also create a reflection about the architecture styles. In Greek architecture, we wrote a poem about Greek with a documentary video as the reference. In addition, our instructor also conducted a debate between the Greek architecture and Roman architecture. By doing all of these activities, we were able to understand the Aegean and Greek architecture.
DISCUSSION ABOUT ETRUSCAN AND ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
Distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting and painting emerged in 2nd century BC. They became more exposed to other artistic cultures, notably that of Greece as they began to expand throughout Italy and the Mediterranean. Patrons are not just the emperors, senators, and the aristocrats, but of all the peoples of Rome’s vast empire including middle-class businessmen, freedmen, slaves and soldiers. Roman Architecture was eclectic because of the extraordinary geographic extent of patrons. Modern knowledge of Roman architecture derives primarily from studies of architectural remains scattered throughout the empire. Another source of information is a vast store of records, including dedicatory and other inscription on public works. The end of Roman arts and the beginning of Medieval architecture is usually said to occur with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine the Great to Christianity on AD330. Roman styles continued however in Christian guise onto later civilization.
Colosseum
Originally called Flavian Amphitheaters because it was built under the Flavian Emperors but later changed to Colosseum because of the colossal statue of Nero that stood beside it. Colosseum was built by the Emperor Vespasian, and his sons - Titus and Domitian in about 70-80AD. It was considered a great architectural and engineering feat for the following reasons: a. free-standing, multi-level structure of stone and concrete. b. grandeur in scale and decoration c. its layout facilitated both the production of extravagant spectacles d. crowd control of the large numbers of people attending the events. It has three tiers of arches of superimposed columns—Tuscan capitals on the first level, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third—and an upper level of Corinthian pilasters and small square windows. It has a seating capacity for 50, 000 spectators. The 80 entrances so arranged that the building could be cleared quickly. It is built of concrete and stone, the exterior faced with travertine and the interior with precious marbles. Colosseum is the scene of thousands of gladiatorial contests, contests between men and animals, and mock naval battles. It is also used for staged battles between wild beasts (lions) and Christians among other spectacles. A restoration project was undertaken in the 1990s.
Arch of Titus, Rome
Arch of Titus was erected by Domitian in honor of his father Emperor Vespasian and brother, Titus around 81AD. It was built to commemorate their victories in the Judean War and the conquering of Jerusalem by Titus in 70AD. Tradition says that not even one Jew ever passed under the arch, unwilling to pay homage to those who destroyed their temple. The relieves on it shows the triumphal procession bringing the spoils from Jerusalem. In the center of the vault is the statue of Titus, who is mounting the eagle. The arch is 15m high and 13.5m wide.
Aqueducts
Aqueducts (Latin aqua, ‘water’, and ducere, ‘to lead’) are man-made conduit for carrying water. They are artificial structures built to transport water across a hollow or valley. In modern engineering, ‘aqueducts’ refers to a system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and supporting structures used to convey water from its source to its main distribution point. From 312BC to 226 AD, eleven aqueducts were built to bring water to Rome, some from as far away as 92km. Majority of the system consisted of underground conduits made mostly of terracotta pipe, leather, lead and bronze. The water flowed to the city by force of gravity alone and usually went through a series of distribution tanks within the city. Rome’s famous fountains were also supplied in this way. The surviving aqueduct monument is the Pont du Gard aqueduct near Nimes in southern France, completed in 14 AD. The structure was built to channel water from a spring 50km from Nimes and have three tiers of semicircular arches, with the top tier rising more than 48m high above the Gard River. Roman aqueducts were built throughout the Roman Empire in Greece, Italy, France, Spain, North Africa and Asia Minor. As central authority fell apart in the 4th and 5th centuries, the systems also deteriorated.
Public Baths
Public Baths was built to provide facilities for communal or private washing and bathing. It is made up of a large open garden surrounded by suite of dressing rooms and a block of bath chambers with apodyterium (changing room), laconium (steam bath), hot room (caldarium), warm room (tepidarium), and cold room (frigidarium). The service was furnished by means of underground passageways, through which slaves could move swiftly without being seen. Clerestory windows were used for lighting the roofing of the enormous rooms. Imperial baths were built for the pleasure of the leisure classes and became a recognized feature of Roman life. Facilities include gymnastic exercise halls and halls for philosophers, poets and those who wish to hear them gathered. The best preserved are the Baths of Caracalla and those of Diocletian, with accommodation for 3200 bathers.
Pantheon, Rome.
Pantheon is the most preserved buildings of ancient Rome and one of the most significant buildings in architectural history. It began as a rectangular temple measuring 44m wide and 22m deep with a gabled roof supported by a colonnade on all sides and was completely rebuilt by emperor Hadrian between 118-128AD when it was converted to a rotunda of concrete faced with brick. It has a great concrete dome rising from the walls. It has a front porch of eight (8) Corinthian columns supporting a gabled roof with triangular pediment. The entrance porch is characterized by huge bronze double doors, 7m high. The dome was the largest built until the advent of modern architecture, measuring about 43m in diameter and rising to a height of 22m above its base and 43m from the ground. There is no external evidence of brick arch support inside the dome; exact method of construction not known. The temple’s immense circular space was lit solely by the 8m ‘eye’ or oculus; a revolutionary concept. The exterior is plain while the interior is lined with colored marbles. The Pantheon was dedicated in 609AD as the church of the Santa Maria Rotunda.
CLASSWORK
(ETRUSCAN ARCHITECTURE)
(ROMAN ARCHITECTURE)
When we’re studying the lessons about the Etruscan and Roman architecture, these activities were given to us by our instructor. In Etruscan architecture, we were task to create a reflection about the Etruscan art (how does the Etruscan influenced Roman art). While in Roman architecture, we were given an activity where we have to make an explanation and to draw the parts of the Roman Arch. Doing these activities helps me in understanding the lessons about Etruscan and Roman architecture.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. However, there was initially no hard line between the Byzantine and Roman empires, and early Byzantine architecture is stylistically and structurally indistinguishable from earlier Roman architecture. This terminology was introduced by modern historians to designate the medieval Roman Empire as it evolved as a distinct artistic and cultural entity centered on the new capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) rather than the city of Rome and its environs. Its architecture dramatically influenced the later medieval architecture throughout Europe and the Near East, and became the primary progenitor of the Renaissance and Ottoman architectural traditions that followed its collapse.
Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia is the greatest example of Byzantine Architecture on Earth. The Hagia Sophia was built under the reign of Emperor Justinian I, one of the most notable rulers of the Byzantines. This time period is often regarded as a high point in Byzantine History. The most impressive fact about this building is that it was constructed in only 5 years and 10 months. Not only was the church built so quickly, but it was the world’s largest building at the time of its completion. The Dome of the Hagia Sophia is particularly noteworthy. At the time of its completion, it was the largest dome in the world, surpassing the dome of the Pantheon in Rome. The Hagia Sophia was the leading Eastern Orthodox Church until 1453 when it was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans who took over Constantinople after defeating the Byzantines. The Ottoman Turks heavily modified the building, adding in multiple additions, prayer halls, and four large stone minarets. Today, the Hagia Sophia is no longer a Mosque and is a secular museum that can be admired by anyone who visits modern Istanbul.
Walls of Constantinople
The walls of Constantinople were the last great fortification system of antiquity. They were modified continuously over time but the major constructions were done by Constantine the Great in the 4th century, and Theodosius II in the 5th century. The walls wrapped the entire city, creating a large land wall on the western edge, and a smaller but still formidable sea wall along the eastern, northern, and southern edges of the city. The sea walls, which defended against naval assaults from the waters of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn were less impressive than the western land walls, and traces of them within modern-day Istanbul are often hard to find. The western land wall, which was constructed mainly by Theodosius II from 404-458 CE, was a massive three-tiered system of walls, towers, and moats that were a marvel of military architecture. These walls are often referred to as the Theodosian Walls and are still largely intact today. They helped the Byzantine Empire defend Constantinople against countless sieges for about 1000 years. Finally, in 1453, the Ottoman Empire was able to conquer the city with the help of cannons after a 7-week siege.
Basilica Cistern
It is a massive underground water storage tank. This cistern named the Basilica Cistern due to its proximity to an older basilica, is an incredible example of Byzantine infrastructure and urban planning. The enclosed space is truly massive, able to hold 2,800,000 cubic feet of water or about 32 Olympic size swimming pools worth of liquid. The cistern provided water to much of the city, including the emperor’s royal residence. Within the cistern, there are 336 marble columns, some of which are richly decorated with column capitals, medusa heads, and ornate carvings. Today the Basilica Cistern is open to the public and visitors can walk on elevated pathways in-between the vast network of columns.
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki was a leading city within the Byzantine Empire. It was an important seaport and contained a formidable fortification system rivaling that of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. These walls were largely built during the reign of Theodosius I, around 390 CE. Over the centuries a lot of the walls were added to and modified. Thessaloniki, like many other cities throughout Greece, contained an Acropolis. The Acropolis of Thessaloniki was located at one of the highest points within the city limits. The walls began around the Heptapyrgion and stretched down to the harbor below. The Heptapyrgion was a castle-like structure that functioned as the cities major defensive citadel. Later on, when Thessaloniki was controlled by the Ottman Empire, the Heptapyrgion was expanded and eventually converted into a prison.
Basilica of San Vitale
The Basilica of San Vitale is a church built by the Byzantines in Ravenna. During the middle of the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire was reaching a high point, after conquering parts of Italy, North Africa, and Spain under the rule of Justinian the Great. All of the wealth and prosperity generated in these conquests helped to fund large-scale building projects throughout the Byzantine Empire. The Basilica of San Vitale is a great example of a centrally planned church, a popular building typology in Byzantine Architecture. The church, like a lot of other religious buildings on this list, is famous for its exquisite Byzantine Mosaics. The mosaics in this church contain some of the greatest depictions of Emperor Justinian the Great and his wife Theodora. Today, the Basilica of San Vitale, along with many other notable Byzantine sites located in and around Ravenna, are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
CLASSWORK
After the lesson about Byzantine architecture was discussed to us, our instructor gave us an activity related to this. He wants us to explain how was the Byzantine architecture considers as the architecture of domes. Then, he also tells us to draw the Hagia Sophia and enumerate the parts of it. And as we are doing it, I discovered some of the architecture in this era. Doing all of these activities helps me in understanding the lessons about Byzantine architecture.
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
By the end of the first century, it is evident that Christian places of worship had developed a somewhat standard form of architecture. Churches from the 1st through the 3rd centuries took classical Greek and Roman architecture in its most flourished form as its main influence. Classical architecture had at this time reached its height after developing for thousands of years. The tendency to use Greek and Roman architectural styles was made without reference to their original symbolism. This allowed for a more complete freedom of architectural styles. There were, however, unique designs that were created specifically for churches. One of the few architectural developments made by early churches was the construction of a dome on top of a polygon.
Basílica de la Sagrada Família
The Basílica de la Sagrada Família is also known as the Sagrada Família, is a large unfinished minor basilica in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica. On 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most popular cultural symbols of Russia. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, or Pokrovsky Cathedral. It was built from 1555 to 1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. It was the city's tallest building until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600. The cathedral has nine domes (each one corresponding to a different church) and is shaped like the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no parallel in Russian architecture. Dmitry Shvidkovsky, in his book Russian Architecture and the West, states that "it is like no other Russian building. Nothing similar can be found in the entire millennium of Byzantine tradition from the fifth to the fifteenth century ... a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design." The cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian national architecture in the 17th century.
Saint Francis Monastery
Basílica y Convento de San Francisco is the Spanish name for Saint Francis Monastery located in Lima, Peru, south of Parque la Muralla and one block northeast from the Plaza Mayor, Lima. The church and convent are part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. Aside from a church and monastery it also contains a library and catacombs. In this church, Jude the Apostle is venerated. At the feast of Saint Jude Tadeus a one and a half ton weighing silver stand is carried round in procession by 40 people, starting from the convent.
Florence Cathedral
Florence Cathedral, (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy (Italian: Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.
CLASSWORK
After the lesson about early Christian architecture was discussed to us, our instructor gave us an activity related to this. He wants us to enumerate the characters of early Christian architecture that gives most of contribution to the era. Then, he also tells us to draw the Basilica and enumerate the parts of it. And as we are doing it, I discovered some of the architecture in this era. Doing all of these activities helps me in understanding the lessons about Early Christians architecture.
As we finished to our discussion, allow me to present to you my self-realization after doing this:
THANK YOU FOR READING SUCH A LONG BLOG POST. AGAIN, I AM MIKAELA REBUSI. HAVE A NICE DAY AHEAD!
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