Evaluation of Architecture

Interior Design II

Things to consider….. Technology - what was available and used – machinery, tools

etc… Did society use available technology or develop new?

Economy - Monetary systems of people – wealthy and poor have different resources available for building – ornate or plain

Aesthetics - apparent visual beauty – concept of beauty varies form person to person

Culture - traditions, religion, art, music all influence design

Habitat - elements, topography, available resources (wood, clay, metal…) what elements was the structure

sheltering from?

4 Basic Shapes used… Square

Rectangle

Circle

Triangle

3–D Shapes used…in order to enclose space

Cube

Rectangular Prism

Cylinder or Column

Pyramid or Cone

Ancient Architecture….what can you see? Observe ancient architecture. It has always existed!!!

Consider the TEACH theory.

Remember it evolves from basic shapes to 3 dimensional shapes.

British Isles…

■ Rectangular Prisms

■ prehistoric

Egyptian

Pyramids Funerary Buildings Created for Monarchs &

Nobles Stepped Design Granite, limestone, and

sandstone - Both sun-dried and kiln-dried bricks were used extensively

Hieroglyphics were decoration as well as records of historic events.

Egyptian

Cylinder or Column

First stone capital = papyrus flower & lotus

Nile floods deposit fine clay, allowing ceramic arts to develop early

Sandstone, limestone, & granite available for obelisks, sculpture, and decorative uses. 

Ramps – build on the way up, decorate as it’s taken down

Mesopotamia – Babylon, Assyria, Persia

Cube Planned city building,

cobblestone streets, and architecture itself have their beginnings here

Mud brick on a raised plinth (platform base)

Walls are ornamented on the outside with alternating pilasters and recesses

Flat roofs, supported on palm trunks, (assumed)

Ziggurat

Greek

Prisms & Columns The temple is the best known

form of Greek architecture. reflect the importance of religion. The political purpose - to

celebrate civic power Beauty lies in ratios & proportions

= The Golden Mean made from limestone which was

cut into large blocks. Marble was readily available. It was used mainly for sculptural decoration.

Roman

Columns & Circles

One architectural technique that came into use by experimentation was the arch

Romans perfected it using a keystone in the center of the arch and allowing gravity to work.

Ancient America - Mayan

Pyramid Monumental construction Buildings erected on platforms Upper walls decorated Lime stucco painted vivid

colors Every day dwellings were

rectangular

Architecture Evolves….. See that all architecture evolves from basic shapes to complex

shapes. Architectural detail evolves with the growth of technology, economics and education.

Notice …architecture repeats trends and moves in a cycle through history.

See that people travel the world carrying their knowledge of what buildings in different places look like. This evolution changes architecture.