HISTORY OF WESTERN
ARCHITECTURE
Mesopotamian Architecture
Egyptian Archite cture
Greek Architecture
Roman Archite cture
Romanesque Architecture
Early Gothic Architecture
Renaissance Architecture
Baroque Architecture
Rococo Architecture
Lecture - 4
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History of western architecture 2
HISTORY OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE
Introduction
• The ancient Roman style is said to be a
reproductive form of the Greek and
Etruscan architecture.
• Together they are considered to be a body
of classical architecture.
• Although the Romans have borrowed much
of the Greek style, they have used their own
knowledge in construction to improve the
arch and vault for the architectural
community.
Introduction
• Some of the many achievements
the Romans used in the nature of
their architecture are the arch,
dome, vault, column, and
aqueduct.
• These accomplishments were large
steps that added to the
understanding of architecture
today.
• By reaching these feats the
Romans were able to create many
impressive building and structures.
ROMAN PHILOSOPHY
"We believe that lightning is caused by clouds colliding, whereas they
believe that clouds collide in order to create lightning.
Since they attribute everything to gods, they are led to believe not
that events have a meaning because they have happened, but that
they happen in order to express a meaning."
Architectonic Typology
• Roman Architecture has a rich typology that includes:
• Religious building: temple
• Civil buildings:
– Public: basilicas, baths
– Spectacles: theatre, amphitheatre, circus
– Commemorative: Triumph arch, column
– Domestic: house, village, palace
– Funerary: tombs
• Engineering works:
– Bridges
– Aqueducts
O R IG IN S O F R O MA N A R C H I T E C T U R E
▪ Romans needed interior
space for worship,
whereas the Greeks
worshipped outside.
▪ Their solution was to
extend the walls
outward, creating
engaged columns, while
maintaining the same
basic shape.
Building materials and tools
• The Romans used many materials to create
everything from masonry pastes to walls and
flooring.
• These are a few of the materials used:
– Chalk
– Sand •Wood
– Pozzolanic concrete •Terracotta
– Broken pottery •Ceramics
– Pumice stone •Tin
– Lime •Iron
– Sandstone
– Marble
– Granite
Building materials and tools
• Similarly to today, the Romans used many different tools
to survey the land and construct buildings.
• These are a few of the tools that were use:
» Dioptra
• Saw blades
» Leveling staff •Folding rule
» Groma
• Chisels
» Axes
• Gouges
» Adze
» Lathes • Hammer
» Saws • Square
» Planes • trepan
» Flies
» Calipers
R O MA N IN N O V A T IO N S
COLUMNS
To the original Greek orders, the
Romansadded two.
▪T U S C A N
SIMPLIFIED DORIC HAVING UNFLUTED
COLUMN AND A PLAIN BASE, CAPITAL AND
SHAFT HAVING NO DECORATION OTHERTHAN
MOLDINGS
▪ COMPOSITE
IT COMBINED ELEMENTSOF BOTH THE
IONICAND CORINTHIAN ORDERS.
CORINTHIAN ORDERISMODIFIED BY
SUPERIMPOSING FOURDIAGONALLY SET IONIC
VOULTSON A BELL OF CORINTHIAN ACANTHUS
LEAVES.
CONCR ET E
K The discovery of slow-drying concrete, made
with pozzolana sand created a revolution in
architectural design.
K Thisallowed not only bases, but also wallsto be
constructed of mainly concrete or concrete and
rubble.
K Facings could be made of more expensive stone
or inexpensive brick.
K The result was strong structures that could be
formed in any desirable shape
USE OF BRICK ON OUTER
FACING AND FILLING OF
CONCRETERUBBLE
DOMEOF THE
PANTHEON
CONSTRUCTING WALLS
• In ancient Rome there were a series of techniques that
could be used to create walls.
• a form of brickwork that consists of diamond sOpus
reticulatum- haped tufa blocks and applied with
mortar.
• Opus incertum- constructing technique that uses
irregular shaped uncut rocks that are applied with
mortar.
• Opus mixtum- application of diamond shaped tufa
blocks and bricks that are applied with mortar.
AR CH & VAULT
▪ The Romans first adopted the arch from the Greeks, and
implemented it in their own building.
▪ An arch is a very strong shape as no single spot holds all the
weight and is still used in architecture today.
▪ The Romans used arches to support the things they built.
▪ They built victory arches, buildings and aqueducts.
B A R R E L O R “ T U N N E L”
VA U LT
• A vault having semicircular cross-section
Windows can be placed at any point.
• Thesevaults require buttressing to
counter-act the downward thrust of
weight.
G R O I N VA U LT
• Also called a cross vault.
• A compound vault formed by the perpendicular
intersection of two vaults forming arched
diagonal arises called groins.
• Needs less buttressing.
BASILICA NOVA
MU L T I G R O IN VAU L T S
A seriesof groin vaultscan have open
lateral archesthat form Clerestories.
Windows that allow lig ht into the
interior of churches.
These concrete windows
were fireproof
D OME
• A dome is a vaulted structure
having a circular plan and
usually the form of a portion of
a sphere, so constructed as to
exert an equal thrust in all
directions
• Romansused domesto span
and cover very large open
spaces.
• They used it in many public
buildings like basilicas, the
pantheon etc.
C Y L IN D R IC AL D O ME
K With the dome, the
Romanscould surpass
earlier cultures by their
ability to span space.
K Light entersthrough
the oculuson top.
THE AQUEDUCTS
P U B L IC WAT E R S U P P LY –
▪ There wasn’t enough water in the
city of Rome.
▪ The Romansbrought water in
from the surrounding countryside.
▪ The water wasbrought in by
tubes called aqueducts.
▪ Citiesthemselveswere plumbed,
providing private water for the PONT DU GARD, FRANCE
rich and for baths and communal
suppliesfor poorer
neighbourhoods. PIPESAND
PLUMBING
WHERE DID TH E WATE R G O ?
▪ The water wastransported in concrete
tunnels.
▪ The water flowed in a tube on the top of the
aqueduct called a water channel.
▪ The archessupported the water channel.
▪ The water flowed through a
rectangular channel.
▪ The channel waslined with concrete.
▪ The Romansinvented concrete.
R OADS
T R A N S P O RT S YS TE M
▪ The need to move
legionsand trade
goods in all weather
led to the
development of the
best roadsin the
world (to the 19th
century).
SECTION OF
THE ROAD
All roads lead to Rome!
R O MA N
B U IL D IN G S
R O MAN BU ILD IN G S
P U B LIC E N TE RTAINM E NT – AMPHITHEATRE AT NIMES
SEATS ABOUT 20,000
Theatresand arenaswere built to hold
multiple thousandsof people and were
engineered so asto allow quick and
effective entry and exit.
P U B LIC E N TE RTAINM E NT – TH E ROM A N COLOSSEUM
▪ Brings together the violence and
the achievementsof Roman society
▪ Home of gladiatorial
contests…man vs. man, man vs.
animal, animal vs. animal
▪ Seating designed for comfort with
an expandable covering over the
top
▪ P lumbing which could wash away
the blood or create an ‘inland sea’
on which to have mock sea battles
Roman Colosseum
• Constructed between 70-82 AD
• Amphitheatre used for gladiator
competitions and other public event.
• Able to seat at most 87,000 people.
• Created by masonry and cut stones.
• Made out of travertine stone, mortar, bricks,
and iron clamps.
• Contains arches, columns, arcades, and
podiums.
Pantheon
• The date in which the original Pantheon
was constructed is unknown, but it was
rebuilt in 126 AD.
• Roman temple built to honor all of the
gods.
• Named for all of the statues placed
around the building and its resemblance
to the heavens.
• This circular building is constructed with
a grand porch, three rows of columns,
and a dome with a centered oculus to the
sky.
• The Pantheons dome is still the largest
unreinforced concrete dome in the world
today.
CONCLUSION
▪ The Romanswere
brilliant engineers.
▪ Their innovations
form the basisof
much of our civil
engineering today.
THANK YOU !!!
