Architecture: A Very Short Introduction

_{5. Palace of Westminster, London, England (1836–68); architect: Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860) with A. W. N. Pugin (1812–52). The old Palace of Westminster, where the British parliament met, was burnt down in 1834. It was replaced by the present building, the organization of which was worked out by Sir Charles Barry, while Augustus Pugin designed the medieval-style decoration, not only of the outside of the building, but also of the furniture and the wallpaper. Views of the outside are very familiar: the romantic silhouette and walls covered in panels of intricate but mechanically repetitive carving. The design was chosen in competition, and it stipulated that the design had to be medieval in character — taking inspiration from the surviving parts of the old palace, such as Westminster Hall. Barry enlisted Pugin’s help because Pugin was passionate about medieval architecture, which he described as an indigenous Christian architecture, in contrast with the pagan origins of classicism.}

_{6. Chandigarh, Punjab, India (1950–65); architect: Le Corbusier (1887–1965). Le Corbusier drew up a masterplan for the new administrative capital, and designed its principal administrative buildings: the Secretariat, the High Court, and the Assembly. There were particular climatic problems to be addressed, and the architecture is dominated by shading devices, such as an umbrella-like roof over the top of the whole of the High Court building. Surrounding the buildings as far as possible with shade, it was also necessary to promote the circulation of air. A river was dammed in order to make a lake that helped to modify the local climate. The buildings are composed of Le Corbusier’s usual interplay between grid-like forms, and freely sculptural elements, made out of concrete by a local workforce.}

Ancient Egypt in the modern world