Abstract This paper examines the design and layout of the Tugendhat House, built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Grete and Fritz Tugendhat in the 1920's. It looks at how some of the structure's themes may be found in works done by Le Corbusier, Schinkel and Mies himself and how, throughout the building, it is evident that great stress and preparation went into project, whether it be the location, the facade, the plan, or the material. It explores how the Tugendhat House a revolutionary concept that rejects traditional arrangements of the interior and promotes simplicity throughout.
From the Paper "The centre stage of the main floor is occupied by an enormous open space that contains the living and dining room. Though a semi-circular wood veneer wall pronounced the dining area, the general space is open and not or-ganized or categorized by the use of dividing walls, but more by the placement of the furniture, which Mies himself designed specifically for the residence. In accordance with so many of Mies' works, such as the Barcelona Pavilion and the Toronto Dominion Centre, a single spot from which an ob-server may embrace the structures and dimensions does not exist. For that reason, the house begs you to wander through it, to discover it and its se-crets."
Abstract This paper explains that architecture is more than the design of buildings because it incorporates the thought of the person building the structure; the architecture of Egyptian and Greek temples differs in function, structure, and symbolism. The author points out that Egyptian temple architecture is much larger than the Greeks because the geographical location was abundant with resources and building materials, such as limestone, and the Egyptians maintained a highly organized society capable of carrying out such large constructions. The paper explains that another main difference between the Egyptian and the Greek temples is that architects, not priests, directed the design of the Greek temple, which distinguished the Greek temples from those of the Egyptians because they made conscious choices in design for aesthetic reasons, not just function.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Architectural Structure
Function
Architectural Art and Symbolism
From the Paper "The earliest Greek temples were small and gradually became larger and grander. The first temples were similar to small huts and were long and narrow. These early temples were about 25 by 18 feet and were built using stone and unbaked mud brick. As the wealth of the Greek people grew and the geographical locations became more abundant with resources, temples began to take a much more sophisticated style. "There was a compelling need, given the dominant role of the gods in society, to pay at least some benefits thus received to them.""
Abstract This paper discusses the main reason why, in the early 1700s, British town planning seemed to diverge from that on the continent, even though a common heritage was present. The conclusion is a surprising amount of politics, national rivalry and religious differences that altered British building environment.
From the Paper "Baroque design flourished on the continent between 1600 and 1750, particularly in Catholic countries. It tended to be expressive, flamboyant and encouraged by the Roman Catholic church (Hutchinson:2005). A Baroque designer would usually have had the support of a ruler and would therefore expect his development to be completed in its entirety, in contrast to events at the Royal Crescent in Bath, for example. The emergence of Baroque town planning in continental Europe is tied to the Renaissance, Reformation and subsequently the Counter-Reformation. Advances in science and the discovery of the New World provided the context for the creation of towns and cities that came to reflect the new wealth of the major European powers as well as the new cosmopolitanism of the ruling classes. "
Abstract This paper explains how Wright was a highly innovative influence on modern architecture. It examines how his designs were influenced by current day events as well as by his travels to Europe and Japan. In particular, it describes the Robie House, Prairie style homes, Taliesin, Imperial Hotel, Hollyhock House, Fallingwater, Marin County Civic Center, and Guggenheim Museum.
From the Paper "In 1911, Wright moved to Wisconsin and built a home for himself and his mistress that he named Taliesin. In the architectural design for Taliesin, Wright included concepts from organic architecture. Organic architecture is a type of architecture that promotes harmony between man and nature through design. Organic architectural designs integrate the building and its furnishings into its surroundings. Wright accomplished this at Taliesin by constructing the chimneys and stone piers out of a local limestone which was laid by stonemasons in the house in a way that reflected the outcroppings of Wisconsin's landscape. Wright also used sand from the Wisconsin River in the house's stucco walls to bring to mind the river's sandbars."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of the Hagia Sofia as a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. The paper discusses the split between the East and the West of the Roman Empire. The paper examines unique architectural features of the Church that combine elements of both the East and West.
From the Paper "The Hagia Sophia located in Istanbul, Turkey is a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and perhaps the most significant example of Byzantine art during its Golden era, combining Greek, Roman and Oriental influences. Aside from its beauty, Hagia Sophia, Greek for Church of the Holy Wisdom, is important for its artistic and architectural uniqueness as well as its religious and political significance. With the Roman Empire in severe economic and political decline, in 330 A D Emperor Constantine established the trading city of Byzantium as his new Eastern capital, renaming it Constantinople."
From the Paper "Architecture has always been a reflection of the significant influences and objectives of a society at a given time. The development of the gothic cathedral manifests the changes in creative thought and techniques of the medieval architect. "
Abstract The following essay describes the memorable and culture enriched journey one experiences when entering the Pantheon in Rome.It discusses amongst other things the way in which the Pantheon still manages to communicate with us so vividly across such a vast expanse of time.
From the paper:
"As Stendhal wrote, "It requires only a few moments to be penetrated by its beauty. You stop before the portico; you take a few steps, you see the church, and the whole thing is over." Stendhal also claimed that he had never met any person who was unmoved by this sublime experience. "
Abstract This paper examines architecture with all its elements and styles. It examines how some structures are strictly utilitarian whilst other structures are designed to commemorate historic or mythological persons or events, and/or inspire feelings of awe, pride, sadness, or even anger. The writer focuses monumental structures and responses they evoke.
From the paper:
?These structures are monumental. According to "A Dictionary of Architecture", a monumental is ?a building intended as a monument or looking like one; or a building that is formal, impressive, very large, and permanent, probably intended to overawe.? This monumentality, seen so clearly in the architecture of ancient Rome, is also a vital element of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.?
The following paper looks at Michelangelo's contributions to art and architecture and shows how he has exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art.
Abstract This paper examines Michelangelo's contributions as a sculptor and painter as well as his work as an architect -- which remains well known -- and as a poet, which is much less well known today.
From the Paper "Unlike many artists who are not recognized until the very end of their careers -- or perhaps decades or centuries after their deaths -- Michelangelo was considered by his contemporaries to be the greatest living artist in his lifetime, and his reputation has been maintained ever since. There has never been a time when he was not held to be one of the greatest artists of all times and a number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most famous in existence (Paoletti, 1997, p. 38). "
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the ideas of the 1950s of three separate architects by looking at their different views of modernism. The architects are Robert Venturi, Peter Eisenman, and Rem Koolhaas. Modernist, Post-Modernist, and Pre-Modernist concepts are examined, and the works and ideas of the architects are described in depth.
From the Paper "In the 1950's many architects were struggling for expression of Modern Architecture. Robert Venturi, Peter Eisenman, and Rem Koolhaas are three architects who each had different views in regards to Modern Architecture. Robert Venturi had a post-modern approach and believed in complexity and contradiction to create a new architecture. Peter Eisenman had a modern approach and used axonometric drawings and models to better represent architecture. Rem Koolhaas had a modern, pre-modern, and post-modern approach and looked at the problem of large. These three architects expressed their relationship to Modern Architecture differently."
Abstract This paper examines the origins of skyscrapers. Factors that made the building of skyscrapers possible, such as technological advancement, and advancements in manufacturing and architecture are outlined. Advantages to the building of skyscrapers over smaller buildings are discussed.
From the Paper "Skyscrapers flourished in Chicago for a variety of reasons. "The main technological advancement that made skyscrapers possible was the development of mass iron and steel production. New manufacturing processes made it possible to produce long beams of solid iron. Essentially, this gave architects a whole new set of building blocks to work with" (Harris). The development of elevators also played in the development of skyscrapers, because people could move more quickly and efficiently between floors, which is why skyscrapers are sometimes called ?elevator buildings.?"
Tags: iron, steel, manufacturing, architecture, elevator, Holabird, Roche, Chrysler
From the Paper "The achievement of the Bauhaus school of architecture and design consisted of its novel pedagogical approach and its distinctive modernist style of design. While both of these aspects of the Bauhaus movement originated in its innovative aesthetic and were intrinsically linked while the movement flourished, the style was to be replaced by different design ideas that sometimes derived from aesthetics similar to that of the Bauhaus and, very often, from training based on Bauhaus methods. There was no necessary connection between Bauhaus style, which might have developed in various directions, and Bauhaus educational principles, which eventually supported the teaching of many kinds of design. These achievements were, therefore, of different kinds. On the one hand, the style developed by the teachers and students was enormously influential..."
From the Paper "Cities change all the time, growing larger, replacing old buildings, redesigning roadways and connections between buildings and regions, and similar changes as the population shifts, uses change, political leadership is replaced, and other forces are brought to bear. Numerous changes were made in the overall design of the city of Paris after the nineteenth century, absorbing and in some ways altering the original plan for the city and many of the shifts that had taken place since that time.
Paris was a medieval city that grew around the river Seine, and this capital city of France remained much as it had been in the medieval period into the nineteenth century. The Revolution in 1789 had changed this city very little except for the razing of the Bastille. The city at that time was considered an ..."
Describes example of Islamic architecture & decoration. Brief history of the building, stylistic sources, movtives of the builder & function of the monument.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 9 sources, 2001, $ 95.95
From the Paper "Islamic architecture is frequently noted for the splendor of the mosaics and tiles that ornament mosques, mausoleums and palaces. It is fitting, therefore, that the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the earliest surviving example of Muslim building, is as beautifully adorned as any. Yet, although it stands at the head of a long tradition of such elaborate decorative schemes, the Dome of the Rock is atypical in most other ways: the borrowed building type is not one of the characteristic forms later developed by Islamic culture; its intended use is uncertain, unlike most later Islamic architecture where function is unambiguous; and the decorative mosaics inside the dome not only reflect the cultures from which the styles were derived but also constitute an iconographic program whose meaning has been obscured by time. In one important respect, however, the..."
From the Paper "The purpose of building Gothic cathedrals was to build a temple worthy of God. In the twelfth century, bishops became independent of the secular power and took their destiny, and that of the Church, into their own hands. The growing power and prestige of the bishops combined with the architectural development of the flying buttress and rib vaulting enabled the building of the great Gothic Cathedrals. Stained glass work attained its epiphany in the windows of these Gothic cathedrals. The stained glass windows constructed during the thirteenth century are considered some of the finest examples of this art..."
