Something I’ve always appreciated about Architecture was the vast history of it. Since the beginning of man, humans we’re designing forms of shelter imperative to their survival.
And as time went on, these shelters evolved. Their purposes, designs, materials, and especially their size changed immensely. Some were designed for shelter, others for meeting, many in early times for religious purposes. Today many buildings serve for businesses.
As time went on, architecture always remained dedicated to its largest demands. Buildings are designed and built for reasons. Whatever it is that a client or a society wants or needs, architecture provides that for them.
In this post I will be discussing some of my favorite buildings throughout the beginning of the history of architecture.
The first is Stonehenge. I’ve always appreciated this one because of the size of it. If you look to the left you can see just how large the stones are compared to the human standing between them. Even more amazing about the size is the fact that it was done around 3000 BC, so 5000 years ago. I’ve always found the technique to haul the large stones up interesting. The builders would slowly lift the stone and then build wood platforms under it. They would continue to build the platforms up until finally the stone was high enough to slide over onto the two vertical stones.
Another building I like is the Parthenon. Built on the top of the Athenian Acropolis in Greece, the Parthenon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos. The building was designed by the early architects Iktinos and Kalikrates. It was a very large temple that had doric columns surrounding it. There were 8 columns on the front and back, and 17 on each side. To the left you can see some drafts I did of the Parthenon. At the top of it is an elevation so you can see what it looks like. Below that is a plan of the temple. As you can see it has a peripteral colonnade which means it is surrounded by columns. Then there are walls on the inside that house a large statue of Athena Parthenos. To the right of the plan is a picture of what the doric columns look like. Of the three main classical columns, this is the least decorative type. It also has no base on it but it does have a fluted shaft. Below the column is a site plan of the Athenian acropolis, with the Parthenon shaded so that one can see its size and location on the acropolis.
https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/rome/pantheon-facts
The last building I want to speak about is my Viscom teacher’s favorite building, the Pantheon. Built in Rome in 126 AD by Hadrian, the Pantheon is still to this day a structural phenomenon. My favorite part about the Pantheon is the dome. The coffered inside of the dome is amazing enough. Then add in the oculus in the middle that allows light to come in that is 26 feet wide. The dome in total spans 142 feet. For me, I truly appreciate the fact that a building that was built almost 2000 years ago with such a large dome can still stand. Most buildings from that long ago are in shambles today.
I’m certain I’ve said this before, but I feel it is very important to learn and have an understanding of architectural history. That is why I’m learning and studying these buildings and luckily for me I enjoy it so much. It will help me as an architect in the future and give me a solid understanding of precedents in architecture.