The Developments in Architecture

The Developments in Architecture
The Architecture through the Greek and Gothic periods went through shifts of stylist and structure that were heavily influenced by artists and religion. We can also observe that stylistic changes were often borrowed from other cultures, even to the extent of cultures importing structure pieces to their country to finish a building. Such things that were borrowed and built upon were Corinthian columns, arch’s, flying buttresses and even some vague idea’s of the birds eye view of a building from Egypt made it into Christian architecture. Each culture had its very own distinguishable traits, for instance the Gothic structures always had pointed arches that insisted that the eyes were to look up, flexibility, large stain glass windows, and surmounting elegance.
Starting with the Parthenon, this was designed by the hands of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates. What is unique to this structure is that it was not built on a level ground and all the columns were tilted slightly inward. This meant that each column had to be carved specifically according to its location in the rectangle. If lines were drawn from each column parallel to the angle they were inclined to the points would meet 1.5 miles in the air. The length of the Parthenon was 8 columns wide and 17 columns long which measured 101’ by 228’. This structure was erected in the High classical period around 448-432 BCE in Athens.
The next structure that was heavily influential and ground breaking was the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon was constructed to fit as a temple for “all the gods”. It was custom-built and designed by Emperor Hadrian. While many aspects of the pantheon are revolutionary the front façade was a put in place as a tribute to the tradition (the columns especially). The dome part was the revolutionary part; the known geometry at the time was put into work very efficiently. Hadrian used the geometry of 2 intersecting circles to design the “eye” or sphere that would shaping the interior space. Not just the idea, but the execution of building the dome was very impressive. Too the casual observer it looks like there are a pattern of square chunks carved out of the top side of the dome. However those were put there not only deliberately as an aesthetic pattern but to actually strengthen the dome. What it did was that it reduced the weight of the dome and made it so they could keep making it lighter and lighter until the peak. There are other ways that they kept the dome light. When they were mixing the concrete they were mixing in softer stone, until eventually they were using the lightweight stone pumice for the very top of the dome. Inside the pantheon the interior measures 144’ high and 144’ wide. The peak point of the dome which is referred to as the oculus measured a diameter of 27’. This magnificent structure was constructed in Rome around 118-23 CE. This in fact will be the largest dome ever built until the 19th century.
Rivaling the structural ingenuity of the Pantheon is the Hagia Sophia. The way this marvelous structure rivals the Pantheon is I’ts pendentive dome. This dome is built on a square base which would require complex building strategies using geometry. Who better than to build this building then a mathematician and a physicist? A mathematician and a physicist could take on the enduring task of completing such a feat. The architects of this building were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Other great parts of this structure are its light source. The way that its built it offers a very efficient way of lighting the interior, from a 1st hand experience it would seem the interior is glowing. This structure was completed near 523-37 CE in Constantinople. The measurements of this structure are 270’long, 240’ wide and 183’ high. What’s interesting about this structure is that is that its base of the central dome is 144’ which is equal to that of the Roman Pantheon.
This next work which is a very interesting piece “The St. Sernin church” because it has very vague implications that it has concepts from long ago taken from Egypt. Long ago in Egypt, the god “Reh” that they worshipped was said to have an attraction to the “Ben-Ben” stone. The Ben-Ben stone was a pyramid shaped crystal that was translucent. So the Egyptians built the pyramids hoping that when Reh looked down from the heavens and saw the great pyramids he would see Ben-Ben stones instead. That same thought can be correlated into this early Christian church. From a bird’s eye view of the building the church’s top looks like a cross. The cross is an icon heavily associated with Christianity because the savior Jesus Christ died on the cross, fulfilling the Old Testament, so that everyone who believed could have their penalty of sin paid for. So that when the Judean Christian God would look upon the earth he would see the cross. This structure was completed around 1080-1120 CE in France.