ARCH 250 - Weeks 5 to 9
Chinese Cities & Architecture:
Vocabulary:
Yingzao-fashi, 1100
Chinese Building Principles were recorded in this.
Superintendent of State Building wrote this, but why?
Did it to establish state control over construction & infrastructure throughout China
What else did this do?
Establish & Registered Craftsmen into the government records.
Craftsmen belonged to hereditary family guilds, guarded their practices
Jian
Chinese measurements for building proportions & scale
Rectangular room or space defined by four columns or walls
standard unit of spatial organization which may be expanded or repeated to form an individual or groups of buildings
Axial Planning
Axial means to have an axis
Symmetry means to have exactly similar parts on each axis
Symmetrical and orthogonal structuring of plan and elevation is basically the direct
representation of the Chinese cosmos
Kao Gong Ji, 5th century
Book recording city planning regulation & standards
Based on Confucian writings
Urban planning that emphasizes SOCIAL HIERARCHY
The emperor is at the top of the pyramid of social class
Seen in Beijing’s own city planning:
Oriented to the cardinal directions
Square Shaped Plan
Walls and Moats for defense
Streets run east-west
spatial sequencing
A combination of hall to courtyard sequence
Spatial sequences along the axis, from South to North, and from least to most
important
Main Themes seen in Chinese Architecture:
Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards
Chinese building practices were recorded in the Yingzao-Fashi
Meant to have STATE CONTROL of building practices throughout China
Other Books/Recordings of practice regulations:
Building Technology
Handbook for Administrations
There’s four main parts of a building according to Yingzao-Fashi:
Foundation Platform with stone or brick
Timber frame with columns & Brackets
Timber frame had post-n-lintel supports, brackets, and purlins below terracotta roof tiles
Wooden Purlins (roof beams)
Decorative roof (terracotta roof tiles)
Design Principles of Traditional Chinese Architecture
Modular Design
Everything is centered around the jian (standard unit) in proportions & form.
Spatial Sequencing & Axial Planning are major proponents of Chinese design
Buildings facing the MOST NORTH are MOST IMPORTANT
Buildings that are the HIGHEST, BIGGER, & TALLER, & MOST DECORATED as MOST IMPORTANT
Philosophical Principles
Confucianism:
Respect your elders, authority, and whomever’s higher than you socially
More about social order, thus design principles emphasize AXIALITY & HIERARCHICAL ELEMENTS
Daoism
Nature triumphs all
Harmony between man and nature
Oracle Text - I Ching
Translation: “Book of Changes”
Indigenous Practices
Animism
Life after Death
Ancestor Worship
Like the scene in Mulan, with the anscestors
Geomancy
The art of divination by means of signs
derived from the earth.
Good v. Evil influences
They act in spaces and the people in them
“Good” = SOUTH
“Evil” = NORTH
Feng Shui
Wind & Water
a kind of geomancy for dealing
with good & evil influences in homes & building design
Monuments
Imperial and Forbidden Cities, Beijing, China, 15th century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What kind of complex is the Forbidden City? Why is it called this?
How does its design reflect axial planning and spatial sequencing?
What are some of the buildings found inside the Forbidden City and what purposes do they serve?
What was the Hall of Supreme Harmony used for and how does its architectural design reflect its function
and importance?
Forbidden City, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Beijing, China, 15th Century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What kind of complex is the Forbidden City? Why is it called this?
How does its design reflect axial planning and spatial sequencing?
What are some of the buildings found inside the Forbidden City and what purposes do they serve?
What was the Hall of Supreme Harmony used for and how does its architectural design reflect its function
and importance?
Traditional House Plan, Beijing, China, 15th century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What is significant about the orientation of the building? What is the basic module used in its design.
How does the house design reflect family structure in 15th century Beijing? Who would have lived here?
What does the design have in common with the sequence of halls and open spaces in the Forbidden City?
Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China, 15th century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What is the purpose of the Temple of Heaven? What activities would take place here and who would
participate?
How does its design reflect axial planning and spatial sequencing?
What are the three main buildings found in the complex? What are the architectural, decorative, and
spatial characteristics that reveal their importance?
Japanese Cities & Architecture:
Vocabulary:
Monuments:
Yoshimura House, near Osaka, Japan, ca. 1620
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What are some of the materials and techniques used to build a minka?
What is the basic module used in its design?
Tatami
How was art displayed in a minka belonging to a wealthy or important family?
How does this house compare to a courtyard house in Beijing?
Himeji Castle, Near Osaka, Japan, 1609
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who built the great castles in Japan?
What are some of the functions of a castle in Japan at this time?
What are some of the defensive features see here? How does this compare to what is found in medieval
European castles?
Katsura Imperial Villa & Tea Houses, Kyoto, Japan, ca.1616-1660
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who built this complex and what is its purpose?
How does the design of the Katsura villa exemplify the Shoin style of interior (image at bottom center)?
What are three important characteristics?
What are the most important design characteristics of a Japanese tea house (image at left)? How does its
design reflect the interest in nature, principles of Zen Buddhism, and the arts?
Islamic Cities & Architecture:
What is the purpose of a mosque and what are some of the architectural requirements for its design?
Mosques are meant for Islamic worship & gathering, aka house of congressional prayer
They require:
To be oriented towards Mecca
To have minarets
Tower for muezzin to call faithful for prayer five times a day
Quibla wall points in direction of Mecca
Place to wash before prayer
Courtyard with fountain
Sahn - Covered hall for prayer
Congressional prayer faces quibla wall, which faces to Mecca
Mihrab is a arched niche pointing towards Mecca.
Acts as a visual and acoustic focus
Minbar is a pulpit for the preacher/imam
Three types:
Hypostyle
Sahn, then quibla wall, then mihrab
Four-Iwan
four iwans (three normal, one quibla iwan) surrounding a sahn
Central Plan
Quibla wall is inside sahn’s interior
Mosque and külliye of Sultan Suleyman, Istanbul, Turkey, Sinan, 1550-1557
Type of Building: Mosque complex
Patron: Sultan Suleyman I
Architect: Koca Sinan
Style of architecture: Central Mosque Plan
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Has dome, half-domes, minarets (added later), Ottoman mausoleums, Hammam of Hurrem Sultan
Muqarnas vaults hang above entrance
Above are calligraphic verses from the Qu’ran in gold
There’s central dome, half dome, domes on each bay of courtyard, pointed arches with polychrome voussiors, and caligraphic golden decoration
Arches are supported by columns with Muqarnas capital
Has a square central dome supported by pendatives
Half domes are accompanied by celestories and pendatives
Mausoleum (Turbe) of Suleyman
Covered walkway supported by marble columns with muqarnas capitals, arcade with polychrome voussoirs. Polychrome marble decoration, with stone jali (screens) in windows, muqarnas along eaves.
Hammam (Bathhouses)
Important building to urban society, particularly important for Muslims, for whom bathing is proscribed by the faith.
Men’s bath entrance on left, women on right. Interior with central fountain, followed by warm room and hot room.
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What kind of mosque is this, and what older building in the same city inspired the architect?
It is a central plan domed mosque inspired by the central plan Christian Basilica of Hagia Sophia
What is the building seen at bottom left? What older Islamic building does its design reference and why is
this significant?
Dome of Rock
Octagonal plan with dome on drum draws inspiration from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, 687-691.
What are some of the buildings found in an Ottoman külliye? What does this tell us about its function and
contribution to Ottoman society?
There are mudrasas, Hadith School, Hostel (caravanserai), Mausoleaum
Meant for community service, education, community resources, lodging, commerical activity, and cementaries
Quwwat al-Islam mosque, Iron Pillar, and Qutb Minar,
Delhi, India, 12th-13th centuries
Type of Building: Mosque & City Complex
Patron: Muhammed of Ghur
Architect: slave Qutb
al-Din Aybak
Style of architecture: Hypostyle Mosque Plan
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Has ovigal arches
Mosque is a Hypostyle Mosque
used Hindu temple spolia from 27 destroyed temples, as per recorded evidence
Built on location of Hindu Temple
Has a colonnade courtyard
Walkways & interior are a combination of post-n-lintel construction along with a corbelled ceiling
Qutb Minar is 379 to the top, 72.5 meters
Iron pillar made of pure iron
Compare to Asoka Pillar from
Sarnath, India, ca. 250 BCE:
Four lions may be emblems of
Buddha, universal nature of
Buddhism.
Wheel (chakra) refers to
Wheel of Law.
Lotus blossom symbolizes
the presence of divine purity
in the imperfect world.
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
What does Quwwat al-Islam mean? Who built this complex? What are its main buildings?
Built by Hindu craftsmen & used Hindu temple spoilia
Has a screen wall, Quwwat Al-Islam Mosque, Iron pillar, and Qutb Minar
There are many architectural elements reused in the complex, including the Iron Pillar. Where did these
come from originally and what message would their reuse here send to a visitor?
There is Sanskrit inscription that was made in ca.400 by King Chandragupta II dedicated to Vishnu, a Hindu god
Their reuse would send to a visitor of the ruler’s right to rule in this region, by using spolia as a trophy to behold
What techniques were used to build the screen wall mosque complex? How does this demonstrate the
use of traditional Hindu building techniques with new architectural shapes?
The screen wall complex has ogival arches leading into the courtyard where the Iron Pillar stands
Hindu traditional building were more familiar with corbelled arches, not true arches. Thus, a new arch was made: The Corbelled Ogival Arch
What is the purpose of the Qutb Minar? How does its design and decoration reflect new developments in
Islamic architecture of South Asia?
The purpose was to be a minaret, to call the faithful for prayer
Qutb - Axis, or staff
It is built of stone & decorated with caligraphy, the balconies are supported by muqrana arches and brackets
It shows the Islamic conquest in South Asia through the intergration and fusion of Islam & Hindu art and architecture
Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 1631-1647
Type of Building: Mausoleum
Patron: Shah Jahan, fifth Mughal Ruler
Architect: Mir Abd Al-Karim
Caligrapher was Abdul Haqq
Supervisor was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Tomb, mosque, and “guest house” at North
Central place occupied by square garden divided by four by water canals - four plot plan
planted with flowering trees and plants as a symbol of rebirth and fertility
emphasis on symmetry and axiality
Entrance at south, through a main gateway
set on axis with the tomb. This area originally
had shops.
Made of black and yellow inlaid marble
Two stories tall with iwans framed by pilasters decorated with a chevron pattern
Made of semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli, jasper, agate, jade, coral, amethyst, and turquoise.
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who paid for the construction of the Taj Mahal and what is its purpose?
Shah Jahan paid for its construction to honor his wife, who died in childbirth
What are the principal elements of this complex?
4 minarets, 4 chatris, 2 story facade
has an iwan & paradise garden
Main mausoleum with a tomb with eight halls & side tombs to represent the afterlide
Gateway market & guest house
Explain how the four-part garden design expresses the idea of paradise and why this would be symbolic in
the context of the Taj Mahal.
Represents the Islamic ideals of paradise: water, honey, milk, and wine
It’s meant to create an interpretation of what an Islamic heaven looks like from the Qu’ran
What are some of the architectural forms and decoration found on the exterior and interior of the main
building and how are they related to its purpose?
Calligraphic design - inlaid with marble & are verses from Qu’ran + Floral imagrey
Floral imagrey
Both are done to show connection to Islam & the Islamic idea of paradise
Everything is done in multiples of 4 & 8: Eight-sided screen, eight halls & side rooms
8 is a holy number, and connects to heaven
The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain (Nasrid phase, 13th-15th
centuries, Spanish Renovations 16th century)
Type of Building: City Complex with Mosque, Palace Residence, City Center, and defensive walls & fortresses
Patron: Nassirids
Architect: Muhammad V built the court of lions; Pedro Manchua built Palace of Charles V
Style of architecture: Islamic
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Square floor plan with series of squinches rising to a star shaped drum & muqarnas vault
Eight muqarnas squinches
Muqarnas - 3D geometric projections that has levels of induvidual decorative elements that project over lower elements
can be used to decorate projecting vaults, cornices, squinches, pendatives, vaults, and domes
Can be made with wood, stone, stucco, brick, or tile
Court/Patio of Mrytle Trees & Comares Tower:
Hall of Ambassadors
Exterior court emphasizing symmetry
Water provides mirror-like reflection
Decorated by Colorful tiled stucco
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who first built this complex and what purposes did it originally serve?
The Nassirids built this complex to function as a city for administrative & residential functions.
Describe the design of the garden in the Court of the Lions: what does the plan represent, symbolically?
How does it compare to the garden in the Taj Mahal?
The design of the garden is separated by four channels of water, which emphasizes the axiality of the setting.
Four channels represents the four paradises: water, honey, milk, and wine
Originates from Persia and is considered a paradise garden, which is similar to the Taj Mahal’s version of it
In the middle, we have a fountain with 12 lions surrounding it outwards, which is meant to symbolize the courage & power of the Nassirid rulers
Surrounding the garden are open-arcades with muqarnas
Muqarnas symbolize the relationship between the induvidual and the divine (one to the infinite) and ties Islam to the right of rule
Where did the sculpture in the Court of the Lions originally come from? What is significant or symbolic
about their use in the palace?
The sculpture of the lions came from a Jewish palace, which was taken by the Nassarids
This was used to showcase the might of the empire & Islamic conquest outside of the middle east & was another significant use of spolia in Islamic architecture
What happened to the Alhambra at the end of the Nasrid dynasty rule in Spain? What style of architecture
was used in the period and why is this significant?
in 1492, Granada was retaken by Christian forces and Charles V built a large Renaissance palace in the 16th century
The style of architecture was Italian renaissance based, as it was inspired by Roman & Greek architecture
Has circular colonnades & tuscan columns
Rusticated Masonry
Triglyph & Metope Frieze
Royal Mosque, Isfahan, Persia (Iran), 1611-1630
Type of Building: Mosque
Patron: Safavid Rulers
Architect: Shah Abbas I
Style of architecture: Four-Iwan Mosque
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Buildings on the open space include shops while center is a park with central pool of water
Has two minarets, entrance iwan, and bulbous dome with drum and screened windows
Top of the Minarets are supported by Muqarnas
Has a central iwan
Dome is supported by Muqarna squinches from interior
also decorated inside and out with glazed tiling
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who commissioned the building of this mosque?
The Safavids
What type of mosque is this and what are the significant parts of its plan?
Four-iwan mosque plan with a central courtyard
The axis of the complex changes so that the
prayer hall is oriented towards Mecca.
Mosque has central courtyard with an
iwans in the center of each side.
Two madrasas in corners of mosque
complex.
What are the distinguishing characteristics of the entrance facade?
Central iwan is decorated with blue polychromatic tiling with calligraphy on it
What are some of the materials and techniques used in the structure and decoration of the mosque
Polychrome & Glazed tiles were used in the decoration of Dome and drum.
Dome and drum are decorated with polychrome tiling with caligraphy & floral designs. Dome has floral arabesques while drum has different forms of caligraphy
Dome is decorated in the interior with glazed tiling
Muqarnas support top of Minarets & support the dome within the interior on squinches
South American Cities & Architecture:
How did the Road of the Inca contribute to the growth and governance of the Inca empire?
Cuzco, Peru, ca.1500
Type of Building: City complex
Patron: Inkas
Architect: Unknown
Style of architecture:
City is shap
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Macchu Picchu, Peru, 15th Century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
African Cities & Architecture:
Church of St. George, Lalibela, Ethiopia, 13th century
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Gedi, Kenya, 10th-17th centuries, palace and mosque
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Renaissance Cities & Architecture:
Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria, del Fiore), Gothic Church begun in 1292, dome 1436
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect:
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Laurentian Library, San Lorenzo, Italy, begun 1524
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect: Michelangelo
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Villa Barbaro, Maser, Italy, 1557-1558
Type of Building:
Patron:
Architect: Andrea Palladio
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Chateau, Chambord, France, 1519-1547
Type of Building: Hunting lodge
had 440 rooms and 13,000 acres of forest
Patron: King Francois I (initially) and King Louis XIV
Architect: Domenico de Cortona
Style of architecture: Combination of medieval (castle and wall) and Renaissance qualities (symmetry and classical details)
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Steep roofs and chimneys are needed because of the snow & rain happening in France
Access to upper floors with a spiral staircase in the interior courtyard
Central keep has a modular design with “Greek Cross in Square” plan & suites of rooms in each corner and tower.
Centralized square plan is based on Italian Renaissance designs
Spiral staircase inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who first commissioned the construction of the Château at Chambord? Who completed it?
French King Francois I was the initial patron, but it was completed by Louis XIV
How does its design express a nostalgic admiration for medieval castles?
References to medieval castles include outer walls connected by four corner towers, a central keep (donjon) with four towers, and a moat around walls fed by River Cosson
How does the façade of Chambord reflect influence from Renaissance Italy?
Renaissance influence with classical elements (pilasters, horizontal string course, cornice, and balustrade) used to articulate the relationship of the exterior facade and interior spaces
The Palace Royal (Palace de Vosges), Paris, France, 1605-1612
Type of Building: City Square
Patron: Henry IV
Architect: King’s Architect (unknown)
Style of architecture:
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Each building is four bays wide, three stories high (excluding dormered attic story)
is built of brick with stone trim and roofed with slate
All Buildings have a Mansard roof, which originated in France, and were popular because of property taxes were based on the number of stories below the roof line
Uniform facades with stone quoins
Arcades create covered portico around square and access to shops
Made of inexpensive Materials, including brick and stone
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who commissioned the construction of the Place Royale (Place des Vosges) in Paris?
King Henry IV, who reigned 1589-1610
Exploited symbolic and political value of architecture to confirm his right to rule
made a addition to the Louvre and built the Pont Neuf across the Seine
Marries Marie de’ Medici (family of Florence), their son will rule as Louis XIII
What types of buildings are found around the central square, and what are they used for?
In the center there are taller structures, which
What was so innovative about this design?
Done through the large central square accessed by city streets at one end and buildings on all four sides with ground floor shop and residential space above (townhouses), which allows Royal ceremonies, promenade for all the citizens, and a Residential district with houses and businesses
What did the patron hope to accomplish?
Intended to create an economic stimulus and provide income to the Royal Treasury by attracting businesses and people to settle in the city
Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire, England, 1580-1588
Type of Building: Residential Townhouse
Patron: Sir
Sherrif of Nottingham
Architect: Robert Smythson
Style of architecture: Elizabethan Style
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Combines medieval and renaissance ideas
Central Hall based upon Medieval fortified
Great Hall has Medieval elements tracery in windows and hammerbeam trusses to support the roof
Renaissance elements, which are classical Doric triglyphs and metope frieze along the wall
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace, London, 1618-1622
Type of Building: Meant to house masques, a performance with dancing and acting by masked players
Patron: James I and his wife Anne
Architect: Indigo Jones
Son of a carpenter
traveled widely in Europe and carried a copy of Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture with him to Italy
Designed stage sets for court entertainments known as masques (acting and dancing) in which he was able to experiment with Renaissance Forms
Appointed surveyor of King’s works by of James I (first of Stuart Kings) and introduced Renaissance Classism and Palladian Design into England
Style of architecture: Palladian Architectural Design
Techniques and materials used in its construction:
Originally part of larger palace complex, most of which was destroyed in fire in 1698
Building has one interior space, not two stories
form of double cube
1636 - King Charles I commissioned Peter Paul Ruben to paint the ceiling with canvases glorifying the reign of his father (first of Stuart Monarch who united England rule and Scotland as James I of England and James VI Scotland)
January 30th, 1649 - King Charles I was executed in front of the Banqueting House during the English Civil War
What does it teach us about the culture that made it?
Who was this built for? What is the purpose of this building?
James I and his wife Anne wanted this built
Used for dining and entertainment, and to hold masques
What are some of the classically inspired elements and decoration seen on its façade?
Tripartite Facade
Balustrade at top
Cornice
Frieze with decoration
Pilasters and engaged columns
Triangular and rounded pediments above winodws
Heavier masonry at bottom (rustication)
How does the design and decoration (inside and out) illustrate its purpose?
Frieze decoration reflects symbolism with abundance & actors
Both signs are connected to the idea of masques and banquets
What are some of the architectural elements and design principles that reflect Palladio’s work and ideas?
Illusionistic paintings on Tripartites
Canvases installed