Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

Architecture

The science and art of designing buildings

is known as architecture. People

who practice architecture are called

architects. Architects express an artistic

vision through the size, shape, color,

materials, and style of a building’s elements.

But unlike painters or sculptors,

who can create a work of art for its own

sake, architects must design a building

for a specific purpose. The architect can

produce a work of art, but it must also

be functional.

Elements of Design

The architect must consider how a

structure will be used and by whom. An

apartment building, a palace, a hospital,

a museum, an airport, and a sports arena

all have different building requirements.

Another factor in the design is the ideas

the structure should communicate. For

example, some buildings are designed to

impress people with a display of power

and wealth. Others are intended to

make everyone feel welcome.

Other factors are the location and surrounding

environment, including

weather, and the cost of materials. And

above all the architect must create a

stable structure.Walls and roofs can

buckle, crack, or collapse if they are not

properly designed. Over the centuries, as

people discovered building techniques

that worked, those features became standard

elements of design.

The arch was one of the first elements of

this kind. It is a curved structure used to

span an opening and support loads from

above. It allowed builders to create larger

doorways and other openings in walls.

The vault is a continuous arrangement

of arches, usually forming a ceiling or

roof. Another common support element

is the truss, or frame composed of triangular

sections.

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Materials

Building materials are chosen based on

many factors, including their appearance,

strength, availability, and cost.

Stone, brick, wood, and concrete have

been used for thousands of years. Stone

has often been used for large monuments

because it lasts a long time and is

easy to carve. But it is difficult to cut

and transport, and it is too weak for

certain support functions. Brick resists

fire and is easy to produce, transport,

and lay. Wood is very easy to acquire,

transport, and work. But it burns easily,

can develop mold, and may be eaten by

termites. Concrete is made by mixing

cement, water, and small pieces of sand

and stones. It can be poured into molds

to create various shapes, and it hardens

into a solid, fire-resistant material.

A major advance came in the 1800s with

the use of cast iron and then steel for

support elements. These materials are

fire-resistant, can be formed into many

shapes, and can produce very strong, tall

structures. Builders also began embedding

steel rods in concrete to make the

concrete stronger.

History

The earliest buildings were simple structures

made of materials that were easy to

find. Eventually people began to live in

large groups and form communities. As

they did so their buildings became more

elaborate. The Great Pyramids of the

ancient Egyptians were enormous stone

A pyramid in Saqqarah, Egypt, was built

for an ancient Egyptian king.

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tombs for their leaders. In ancient times

people in what is now Iraq built huge

brick temple towers, called ziggurats,

that were shaped like pyramids with

several levels rising in steps.

The traditional architecture of China

also developed in ancient times. It reflects

a deep feeling for the harmony and order

in nature.Traditional temples and houses

are built chiefly of wood and decorated

with tiles. The pagoda, a tower stretching

toward heaven, developed from the stupa

of ancient India. The stupa was a

dome-shaped monument, usually built

over the remains of a holy person.

Ancient Greece and Rome

The ancient Greeks and Romans established

what became known as the classical

style inWestern architecture. The

Greeks built simple structures of marble

and stone. They developed three

styles—called Doric, Ionic, and

Corinthian—identified by the type of

columns they use as a basic unit. Each

type of column had a special design,

called a capital, at the top. These styles

have been used inWestern architecture

ever since. A Greek temple was rectangular

and had a porch, called a portico,

at each end. Lines of columns supported

the roof. An outstanding example is the

Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

The ancient Romans used round arches

and other structural methods that

allowed them to build enormous public

buildings. An amphitheater was a large

round or oval arena surrounded by several

rings of seats at different levels. One

of the most famous amphitheaters, the

Colosseum, was built in Rome in about

AD 70. A Roman basilica was a rectangular

public building with a raised platform

at one or both ends. The early

Christians adopted the shape of the

basilica for their churches.

Middle Ages

As Christianity spread throughout

Europe during the Middle Ages (about

AD 500 to 1500), many new churches

were built. In the east, Eastern Orthodox

Christianity was practiced in the

Byzantine Empire. A typical Byzantinestyle

church had a large dome on top of