CLASSICAL ARCHITECTUREGROUP 15

When was it?•Classical Architecture started when formal writing was created.

•There is no specific date to when Classical Architecture was created or ended.

•This type of art is usually found all over continental Europe.

What is Classical Architecture?

Classical architecture is a term used to refer to buildings from the classical period of European history, starting with the rise of Greece into a major cultural power and ending with the collapse of the Roman empire.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF CLASSICAL

ARCHITECTUREClassical Architecture is different from other architecture because the buildings were all built to have exact symmetry. The architects during this era tried to make everything symmetrical from the doors to the windows to the decorations inside and outside the building. Another thing that set this era apart from the others is their use of floral decorations. They often used flowers on the outside of the building as well as human sculptures and animals.

WHERE CAN IT BE FOUND IN THE UNITED STATES?

Some of the biggest Classical Architecture found in the United States is located right in the heart of Williamsburg, Virginia, at a historic site called Colonial Williamsburg. It also can be found in Washington D.C

HOW WAS IT IMPORTANT?

Classical architecture was also often built on a grand scale, with imposing columns and large arches to demonstrate the skills of the builders.

Classical Architecture is the simple yet breath-taking, complex yet elegant foundations and figures. The buildings are so symmetrical right down to the bare details. The architects of that time period tried to have everything symmetrical. From the door, to the fireplace, and even the decorations inside as well as outside of the building.

WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT?

This type of architecture was either for one or two things. One of the reason that houses were built were for a basic need, shelter. Or, they could have built that home for a god(s), a place to worship a god(s), or a gathering place (ex. Town Hall). As time passed, the buildings became more elaborate and more detailed. Some civilizations grew from stone and mud huts to huge temples as well as tombs like the Egyptians.

There is a possibility that the reason the buildings got more and more elaborate was because each city or race was fighting against each other -by buildings. That could explain why these buildings were so elaborate and so time consuming. The most logical reason is that they wanted their buildings to be so elaborate to please their gods as well as please themselves.

MOVEMENTS:700 BC-323 BC: GREEK

The Doric column was first developed in Greece and it was used for great temples, including the famous Parthenon in Athens. Simple Ionic columns were used for smaller temples and building interiors.

Three Major Greek Columns:

GREEK ARCHITECTURE

The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC, and despite the enormous damage it has sustained over the centuries, it still communicates the ideals of order and harmony for which Greek architecture is known

PARTHENON

323 BC-146 BC: HELLENISTIC

When Greece was at the height of its power in Europe and Asia, the empire built elaborate temples and secular buildings with Ionic and Corinthian columns. The Hellenistic period ended with conquests by the Roman Empire.

44 BC-476 AD: ROMAN

The Romans borrowed heavily from the earlier Greek and Hellenistic styles, but their buildings were more highly ornamented. They used Corinthian and composite style columns along with decorative brackets. The invention of concrete allowed the Romans to build arches, vaults, and domes. A famous example of Roman architecture is the Roman Colosseum.

Corinthian and composite

ARCH USE

NEOCLASSICAL

Neo-Classical architecture is a new birth of the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. A Neoclassical building is likely to have these features: symmetrical shape, tall columns that rise the full height of the building, triangular pediment, and a domed roof

SOURCES

Google Images http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/styles/classical.htm

l http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431390/orde

r "What is Classical Architecture." www.wisegeek.com.

2009. conjecture corporation, Web. 13 Sep 2009. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-classical-architecture.htm>.

Adam, Robert, Classical Architecture: A Comprehensive Handbook to the Tradition of Classical Style, New York, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-classical-architecture.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/classicalarchitecture.htm