Exam 1 Understanding Architecture

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Zeitgeist

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Spirit of the age. Our zeitgeist is sustainable design, so we do not destroy or deplete natural resources

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Architecture

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The art and science of designing and building

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Arch

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Symbolizes entrance

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Form vs. Function

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If the function is perfect the form will come naturally. Symmetry & geometry, size & proportion

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Column

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Vertical structural element

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Beam

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Horizontal structural element, usually between two columns

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Cantilever

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a beam which extends past a column

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Keystone

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hold arches together

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Lintel

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Small beam above a window

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Valut

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stretched arch

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Dome

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360 degree arch

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What two needs do humans satisfy through building?

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1) Function

2) Expression

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Vitruvius

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"Architecture is the unavoidable art"

--Roman architect who said architecture is three things: FIRMNESS (strength), COMMODITY (function), AND DELIGHT (beauty).

--wrote ten books about architecture

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Firmness

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it has to stand up and can’t be easily brought down

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Commodity

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it has to function properly and meet the needs of what it’s built for

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Seven types of roofs

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1) Gable Roof

2) Hip Roof

3) Intersecting Roof

4) Cambrel Roof

5) Mansard Roof

6) Butterfly Roof

7) Shed Roof

most common are gable, hip, and shed

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Truss

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a framework, typically consisting of rafters, posts, and struts, supporting a roof, bridge, or other structure. usually support a roof

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Foundation

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needed because of frost. When things freeze, they expand, and the house would move. You have to stabilize it from frost. Several feet into the ground, there is no permafrost. How deep the foundation and footing are depend on the consistency and strength of the soil.

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Overhang

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necessary so the rain falls away from the building and does not slide down the house and seep into the basement

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Five kinds of function

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1) Circulatory-- the ability to move through the space of a building

2) Symbolic

3) Environmental (i.e. windows? no windows?)

4) Psychological-- comforts

5) Physiological-- adapted to fit human physiology

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Four types of space

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1) Physical (physical reality)

2) Perceived space (the way our eyes interpret/perceive space. changes based upon colors of walls, sizes of windows, presence of mirrors, etc. architects and interior decorators can manipulate spaces to make something look bigger or smaller)

3) Conceptual memory/“mind’s eye" (if someone says “school,” do you picture a brick building?)

4) Behavioral

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Iconography

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shape or form tells you function of the building

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Appropriateness

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color, shapes, how it looks to regular surrounding buildings

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Harmony and Propotion

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we look for these in things to make beauty

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Gesalt

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developed theory/study how people react to something they see. We have the tendency to fill in missing gaps.

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Solid void/figure ground

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when we don’t know what is space or what is solid

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The mind seeks order because

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--we don’t want chaos

--we crave information

--we seek deviation from monotony

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Symbolism of vertical line

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aspiring/reaching

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Symbolism of horizontal line

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"at rest"

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Symbolism of diagonal line

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movement-- dynamic

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The Golden Ratio

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(1.168)

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Things that make beauty

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1) Proportion: relation to the size of pieces to each other

2) Symmetry: Everything is the same on either side of a center line

3) Rhythm

4) Scale: similar to proportion, but on a larger level

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The Greeks were known for developing...

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the temple and the column

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How did the ancient Egyptians feel about change?

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The were conservative and resistant to change because they already had continuity in order. For example, the river flowed every spring, summer and fall the seeds grew, and winter brought drought. They had a willing work force and a happy way of life.

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What do many scholars/architects say was the first “western” architecture?

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The Pyramids of Egypt

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Compass Points

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The cardinal points of the compass offer associations of meaning that can enhance architectural experience. Such associations, while not absolute, can help decide where to locate various spaces and activities on a site or within a building. What might compass orientation suggest about the placement of a mortuary, a worship space, an adult education lecture hall, or an infant nursery?

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Significance of the East in architecture

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East is significant because the sun rises in the East. It’s the dawn of a new day. It symbolizes youthfulness, innocence, and freshness. Symbolizes birth, life, and God.

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Significance of South in architecture

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South is significant because of the amount of sun it receives. It symbolizes activity, clarity, and simplicity.

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Significance of West in architecture

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West is significant because the sun sets in the West. Symbolizes aging, questioning, symbolism, and the devil.

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Significance of North in architecture

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The North is significant because it receives very little sun. symbolizes maturity, acceptance, and death.

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Purposes of Egyptian temples

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houses for priests, centers for learning, etc. Priests' rooms faced the rising sun

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What happened to the ancient Egyptian civilization?

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They were eventually conquered by the Persians and annexed to Rome

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Where did the Pyramids point?

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to the North Star (north symbolizes death)

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Emergence of the pyramids

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The ancient Egyptians built mounds over the buried dead to keep jackals and animals from eating their dead bodies. they stacked dead relatives on top of one another and eventually formed a small pyramid shape. in order to honor the Pharaoh and elites in their burials, they built these same structures but on a massive scale. The Pharaoh was buried somewhere in the middle of these giant pyramids, not in the ground. The Pyramids became monuments to the gods.

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How long did the ancient Egyptian civilization last?

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over 2,000 years

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Vernacular

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category of architecture based on local needs, construction materials and reflecting local traditions

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Context

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Context in architecture concerns what buildings look like in the immediate vicinity of the other buildings

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Section

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a vertical view that has been cut. shown as if a side of the building is torn off so you can see the details of the inside

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Elevation

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if you look directly at the front of the building with no perspective. Straight-on vertical view.

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Reflected ceiling plan

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direct horizontal detailed plan of the ceiling (perspective as if you were looking straight up)

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Three basic forms of architectural drawings

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1) plan

2) elevation

3) section

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Floor Plan

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a direct aerial view of a room on a horizonal plane. shows details. black dark lines are usually walls

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Facade

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image of a building

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Construction documents (and the 2 types)

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These are legal documents. Constuction documents come in the form of:

1) drawings— show size, shape, adjacencies, materials in general

2) specifications— specifics of a design (i.e. wood trim around a door— white oak, smooth finish, measurements, etc.). includes materials, how to build it, quality control, cleanup, etc. etc. usually a very thick book.

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“The Big Three”

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Egypt, Greece, and Rome

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Why did Egyptians embalm bodies?

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thought they could suspend time and death

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What culture might have created the first democracy?

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The ancient Greeks. This explains why U.S. architecture takes Greek inspiration— they were aspiring to create a democracy

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Geography of Greece

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-- between Italy and Egypt

--Very rocky land: a lot of marble and limestone

--land was good for buildings but not crops

--thought they needed to expand because of agriculture

--they were surrounded by water on three sides, so they resorted to fishing

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Attributes of the people of Ancient Greece

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--They were philosophers, “thinkers“, and architects

--architecture of mass in space

--Very inquisitive: they contemplated their place in the world/why they were here. Questioned the nature of man.

--adventurous and tough

--Desired to achieve perfection

--Had a love of logic and reason

--They did nothing in excess; they didn’t want to overdo their architecture

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Did the Greeks focus more on secular life, or the after life?

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secular life

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How did the Greeks search for truth?

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--through mathematics

--thought there may be truth in beauty

--through proportionality (sought balance through symmetry)

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Popular Greek proportion

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2x + 1

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Characteristics of Greek temples

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--often built at grave sites

--often dedicated to particular gods

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The most famous Greek Temple

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Parthenon in the Acropolis (“high city”) of Athens

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About the Parthenon

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--Represents clarity and precision

--Temple of Athena of Parthos, Goddess of War and Wisdom

--If you extend the axis of the parthenon, it points toward the location of their victory over the Persians

--A Doric Temple made of white marble

--The Greeks shaped and spaced the columns in a perspective distortion. They used the dimensions at the base of the column as the proportion/grid for the rest of the building (exhibits how important the column was)

--It was lit by the rising sun (symbolizes life, spring, growth, etc.)

--Most people were not allowed in the temples or the Parthenon. Only very important people

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Was Greek architecture primarily white?

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A lot of Greek architecture was actually very colorful— it’s a misconception that it was mostly white

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The Column in ancient Greece

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--accentuated the column and placed much importance on it, even though they did not invent it

--Modeled columns off of women

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Were Greek columns totally straight?

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Greek columns were not totally straight— they tapered and made a subtle parentheses-type shape (). They did this to make them look better. This shape offered perspective and made them look straighter at angles.

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Why were Greek columns so close together?

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because stone was the only material they had to work with, and stone cannot span/expand very far

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Capital

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The top of a column where the column meets the beam

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What major factor determined the alignment and angles of Greek architecture.

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Greeks heavily considered the land and the landscape. They lined their buildings with the topography of the land they aligned their buildings with the angles of the sun. They were, therefore, not extremely strict to everything lining up. They felt their architecture was a monument set in the landscape.

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Dentals

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Animal teeth incorporated into Greek architecture

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Symbolism in Greek architecture

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--had a lot of Pagan rituals: they appeased the gods through animal sacrifice. This was often exhibited in architecture— i.e. burnt animal bones incorporated into buildings.

--“Dentals”

--symbolism from nature— eggs (symbolizing birth), flora and fauna

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THE GREEK ORDERS

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1) The Doric Order

2) The Ionic Order

3) The Corinthian Order

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The Doric Order

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--probably the first one of the three Greek orders to emerge

--the simplest of the three

--Tuscan Order is very similar, but a little heavier. a little older

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The Ionic Order

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--A little thinner and taller than the Doric

--capital thought to be the horns of a ram

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The Corinthian Order

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--capital looks like leaves

--thinnest and tallest of the three

--most recent of the three

--more detailed than Doric or Ionic

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Doric Order

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Ionic order

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Corinthian order

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The Acropolis

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a citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill (i.e. the Parthenon). idealized civic society in Greece.

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Who was more architecturally-oriented, the Greeks or the Romans?

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The Greeks

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The Greeks sought to ensure their mortality (life, culture, etc). in human memory through...

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intellectual and artistic excellence. remember, architecture is "a combination of science and art"

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Pantheon

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a roman temple to all gods, shaped as the earth (round). the dome was shaped like heaven above.

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What society did the Romans absorb?

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Greek

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Nine words and ideas to associate with Rome

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1) disciplined/organized/controlled

2) patriotic

3) the state is important

4) conservative/ traditional

5) arch

6) dome

7) comfort

8) BIG

9) spacious

10) symmetrical

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What important materials did the Romans really begin to incorporate in their buildings?

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concrete and brick

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What major event contributed to the fall of Rome and the rise of a new dominant era of architecture?

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Christianity and the birth/death of Christ

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Did the Egyptians have an army?

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No!

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What did Egyptian gods represent?

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the sun, the stars, and the river

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Were the Egyptians more secular or religious?

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Religious. The gods were a part of their daily life and the Pharaoh was a link to the gods.

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Were the Romans more secular or religious?

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Secular-- very focused on the "here and now" instead of the afterlife.

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Major architectural accomplishments of Romans

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--mastered the arch

--utilized the dome/ vault

--engineering

-- architecture for entertainment

--architecture of space

--urban living

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What type of society/government was ancient Rome?

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A republic

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Roman arches

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--on the top of arches include a keystone

--usually have a strong base at the bottom to prevent pushing out out

--arches in a row cancel each other out with the direction they pull

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Major difference between Greek columns and Roman columns

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Greek columns are circular, Roman columns have arches

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Roman Pantheon

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Greek Parthenon

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Gable Roof

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Hip Roof

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Shed roof

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Butterfly roof

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Intersecting roof

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Gambrel Roof

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Mansard Roof

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cantilever

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lintel

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Romanesque architecture

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(roman-like) takes from Roman architecture, but is not Roman. The early churches count as Romanesque. If something has a Christian element (i.e. a cross), it is not Roman. Ancient Rome was not Christian.

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Key words/terms for Romanesque architecture

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1) massive

2) small windows (dark and gloomy inside because they wanted to protect from invaders)

3) many arches

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Why were Christian buildings interior-focused?

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because they wanted to individual to focus on their interior/soul

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Basilica

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--created as large houses of prayer. early versions of the Christian church based off of Basilican land.

--long and axial (has an axis/axial plan. it is long in one direction and short on the other)

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Mausoleum

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a non-axial burial structure where every direction is equal, (often octagonal, circular, or square).

The question of “where should we build our church?” came up. In one case, they built a mausoleum where St. Mark was buried. This was considered sacred ground. Christians decided to build a church where he was buried. if it’s not long and axial, but rather center-focused, it’s probably a burial site/mausoleum-based church

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apse

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"bumps" originally on either long end of a Basilica. sometimes called a choir. they are almost always on the east end because the sun rises in the east, and it beams through the windows during early mass

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narthex

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architects realized two apses/altars were superfluous, so they took off one apse and replaced it with a narthex. these now serve as church entrances. almost always place entrance/narthex on the west

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transept

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the eventual cross-shape extensions on the sides of a basilica. the Basilica plan continued to evolve over time. after replacing one apse with a narthex, they started running out of room for all the people attending church. they decided to create a cross shape by extending the sides and adding pews into these wings. the whole shape is called transept.

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nave

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the middle aisle of a basilica. the aisles sit on either side of the nave

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monastery

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secluded, difficult-to-reach locations for men to go pray and live in solitude.

--often had motes and arrow towers

--had few windows. this was for protection, so nobody would throw rocks or arrows through

--there are basilicas in the middle of monasteries

--first hotel was designed after the monastery

--monasteries had schools— they taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion

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relics

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physical remembrances of saints-- pieces of their bodies, clothing, belongings, things they touched, etc.