Theory of Architecture - Architectural Styles

Architectural Styles

Style

  • A particular or distinctive form of artistic expression characteristic of a person, people, or period.

Classical

  • Derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture.
  • Examples:
    • Acropolis, Athens, Greece
    • Parthenon, Athens, Greece
    • Pantheon, Rome, Italy
    • Colosseum, Rome, Italy
  • Five Orders of Classical Architecture:
    • Tuscan
    • Doric
    • Ionic
    • Corinthian
    • Composite

Moorish

  • Prevalent in Spain and Morocco.
  • Influences were Mesopotamian brick and stucco techniques.
  • Frequent use of horseshoe arches, Roman columns, and capitals.
  • Examples:
    • Medina Azahara, Cordoba, Spain (Great Mosque of Cordoba, interior, 8th-10th centuries)
    • Alhambra, Andalusia, Spain
    • Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra, Andalusia, Spain
    • Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
    • Muqarnas, Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
    • Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem
    • Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Taj Mahal

  • Agra, India

Romanesque

  • Emerged from Roman and Byzantine elements.
  • Characterized by massive articulated wall structures, arches, and powerful vaults.
  • Examples:
    • Pisa Cathedral, Complex Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
    • Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa Complex, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
    • Baptistery of Pisa, Complex Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Gothic

  • Revolutionary style of construction.
  • Emerged from Romanesque and Byzantine forms.
  • Characterized by a delicate balance of forces, with thrusts directed throughout a rigid structural lattice.
  • Features were height and light, achieved through a mixture of skeletal structures and ever-increasing windows.
  • Key Elements:
    • Flying Buttress
    • Sexpartite Vault
  • Examples:
    • Basilica of Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, France
    • Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
    • Milan Cathedral or Duomo di Milano, Milan, Italy
    • San Sebastian Church, Manila, Philippines

Renaissance

  • Developed during the rebirth of classical art and learning in Europe.
  • Characterized using classical orders, round arches, and symmetrical proportions.
  • Examples:
    • Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo), Florence, Italy
    • The Tempietto, Rome
    • St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
    • Villa Rotonda, Vicenza
    • Madonna della Pietà/La Pieta, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
    • David, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, Italy

Baroque

  • More ornate than the Renaissance style.
  • Deliberate in its attempt to impress, and was lavish of all styles, both in its use of materials and in the effects it achieves.
  • Key Concepts:
    • Chiaroscuro
  • Examples:
    • Tintoretto: The Last Supper (1592-4)
    • Girl with the Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer
    • The Church of the Gesù, Rome
    • Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
    • San Agustin Church, Paoay, Ilocos Norte

Rococo

  • Final phase of the baroque.
  • Characterized by profuse, semi-abstract ornamentation.
  • Associated with lightness, swirling forms, flowing lines.
  • Ornate stucco work and arabesque ornament.
  • Examples:
    • Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France
    • Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France
    • Latona Fountain, Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France
    • Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

Neoclassicism

  • Characterized by monumentality, strict use of the orders, and sparing application of ornament.
  • Examples:
    • United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.
    • Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    • White House, Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Expressionism

  • Buildings were treated not only as functional structures but also as sculptural objects.
  • Examples:
    • Einstein Tower, Potsdam, Germany
    • Goetheanum, Dornach, Solothurn, Switzerland
    • Eigen Haard Housing Estate, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Michel de Klerk
    • Chile House, Hamburg, Germany, Fritz Höger

Art Nouveau

  • Style of fine and applied art characterized by fluid, undulating motifs, often derived from natural forms.
  • Examples:
    • Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain
    • Casa Mila or La Pedera, Barcelona, Spain
    • Casa Batllo, Barcelona, Spain
    • Secession Building, Vienna, Austria
    • Majolikahaus, Vienna

Art Deco

  • Style Moderne.
  • Marked by geometric motifs, streamlined and curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, and often bold colors.
  • Examples:
    • Chrysler Building, New York City, New York, United States
    • Empire State Building, New York City, New York, United States
    • The Daily Express Building, London
    • Metropolitan Theater, Manila, Philippines

Bauhaus

  • The concepts and ideas were characterized chiefly by the synthesis of technology, craft, and design aesthetics.
  • Emphasizes functional design.

International Style

  • Functional architecture devoid of regional characteristics.
  • Characterized by simple geometric forms, large untextured, often white surfaces, large areas of glass, and general use of steel or reinforced concrete construction.
  • Examples:
    • Bauhaus School and Faculty, Dessau, Germany
    • Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona, Spain
    • Villa Savoye, Poissy, Yvelines, France
    • Lever House, Manhattan, New York, USA

Brutalism

  • Emphasizes the aesthetic use of basic building processes, especially of cast-in-place concrete, with no apparent concern for visual amenity.
  • Examples:
    • Unité d'Habitation, Marseille, France
    • Sainte-Marie de la Tourette
    • Ronchamp Chapel or "Notre Dame du Haut", Ronchamp, Haute-Saône, France
    • Philippine Heart Center, Quezon City, Philippines
    • Tanghalang Pambansa, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd, Pasay, Metro Manila

Postmodernism

  • Reaction against international style and modernism.
  • Encourages use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.
  • Examples:
    • Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia, United States
    • AT&T or Sony Tower, New York City
    • Portland Building, Portland, Oregon, USA
    • Dolphin and Swan Hotels, Walt Disney Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA

Organic Architecture

  • Expression of personal freedom.
  • Harmony between structure and the environment.
  • Integration of individual parts to the whole concept.
  • All forms should express the natural use of materials.
  • Examples:
    • Fallingwater, Pennsylvania, USA

Deconstructivism

  • “Neo-modern” or “post-structuralism”.
  • Questions traditional assumptions and takes modernist abstraction to an extreme and exaggerates already known motifs.
  • Examples:
    • Imperial War Museum North, Greater Manchester, England
    • Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain
    • Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany
    • Vitra Fire Station, Weil am Rhein, Germany

Evolutionary Architecture

  • Eugene Tsui, major proponent.
  • Design that grows and develops based on climatic and ecological elements, as well as advances in technology.
  • Approached as a living organism as if natural forces had shaped the structure.
  • Examples:
    • Fish House, Berkeley, California
    • The Line, Saudi Arabia
    • The Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe
    • CO2 + CH4

Conceptual Architecture

  • “Invisible” or “imaginary” architecture.
  • Represents plans and drawings for buildings and cities that have never been constructed.
  • Pure research or speculation.
  • Examples:
    • Ultima Tower, San Francisco Bay, California
    • Seed of Life, Mars
    • Hexarion, Mars