Building Materials
The availability of suitable materials fostered the crafts to exploit them and influenced the shapes of buildings. Large areas of the world were once forested, and their inhabitants developed carpentry. Although it has become relatively scarce, timber remains an important building material.
Many kinds of stone lend themselves to building. Stone and marble were chosen for important monuments because they are incombustible and can be expected to endure. Stone is also a sculptural material; stone architecture was often integral with stone sculpture. The use of stone has declined, however, because a number of other materials are more amenable to industrial use and assembly.
Some regions lack both timber and stone; their peoples used the earth itself, tamping certain mixtures into walls or forming them into bricks to be dried in the sun. Later they baked these substances in kilns, producing a range of bricks and tiles with greater durability.
Thus, early cultures used substances occurring in their environment and invented the tools, skills, and technologies to exploit a variety of materials, creating a legacy that continues to inform more industrialized methods.
Building with stones or bricks is called masonry. The elements cohere through sheer gravity or the use of mortar, first composed of lime and sand. The Romans found a natural cement that, combined with inert substances, produced concrete. They usually faced this with materials that would give a better finish. In the early 19th century a truly waterproof cement was developed, the key ingredient of modern concrete.
In the 19th century also, steel suddenly became abundant; rolling mills turned out shapes that could make structural frames stronger than the traditional wooden frames. Moreover, steel rods could be positioned in wet concrete so as to greatly improve the versatility of that material, giving impetus early in the 20th century to new forms facilitated by reinforced concrete construction. The subsequent profusion of aluminum and its anodized coatings provided cladding (surfacing) material that was lightweight and virtually maintenance free. Glass was known in prehistory and is celebrated for its contributions to Gothic architecture. Its quality and availability have been enormously enhanced by industrial processing, which has revolutionized the exploitation of natural light and transparency.
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What is Architecture
Architecture (building), the practice of building design and its resulting products; customary usage refers only to those designs and structures that are culturally significant. Architecture is to building as literature is to the printed word. Vitruvius, a 1st-century bc Roman, wrote encyclopedically about architecture, and the English poet Sir Henry Wotton was quoting him in his charmingly phrased dictum: “Well building hath three conditions: Commoditie, Firmenes, and Delight.” More prosaically, one would say today that architecture must satisfy its intended uses, must be technically sound, and must convey aesthetic meaning. But the best buildings are often so well constructed that they outlast their original use. They then survive not only as beautiful objects, but as documents of the history of cultures, achievements in architecture that testify to the nature of the society that produced them. These achievements are never wholly the work of individuals. Architecture is a social art.
Architectural form is inevitably influenced by the technologies applied, but building technology is conservative and knowledge about it is cumulative. Precast concrete, for instance, has not rendered brick obsolete. Although design and construction have become highly sophisticated and are often computer directed, this complex apparatus rests on preindustrial traditions inherited from millennia during which most structures were lived in by the people who erected them. The technical demands on building remain the elemental ones—to exclude enemies, to circumvent gravity, and to avoid discomforts caused by an excess of heat or cold or by the intrusion of rain, wind, or vermin. This is no trivial assignment even with the best modern technology.
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Green Architecture
What is Green Architecture? What is Arcology? Can our buildings really make us sick? The resources on this page explore the relationship between architecture, the environment, and health. You'll find information about eco-friendly "green" architecture, energy-efficient architecture, and healthy, toxin-free construction
Green Building is an adopted practice to help save the environment and nature. 2 main components of green architecture: Energy Savings and Construction Waste. The first is Energy Saving, selection of building with green materials creates better heating, water, and electrical efficiency. Furthermore, the material planning implemented by Green Building techniques can also help reduce construction material waste.
Through better Building design and material selection Green architecture practices have helped in reducing electric, water, and gas consumption which reduces cost, contributes environmental welfare and thus comply with the government promotions energy savings in the design of buildings. Many architects considers always green architecture in their design thus achieving the “Green Building title”. Green Building consultants are available to help implement the techniques and strategies needed.
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Louvre Pyramid
1989-Paris, France
Ieoh Ming Pei
Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1983The Louvre Pyramid by Pritzker Prize Winning Architect I.M. Pei
Photo from the Pritzker Prize Page - Reprinted with permission
Traditionalists were shocked when Chinese-born American architect I. M. Pei designed this glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre. The Paris art museum was a Renaissance masterpiece, and Pei's design consisted of unusual arrangements of geometric shapes. Standing 71 feet high, the pyramid lets light into the museum's reception center. The Pritzker Prize winning architect, I.M. Pei is often praised for his creative use of space and materials.
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Architectural House Styles
Early American House Styles
Pueblo StylesPrehistory - Present. Inspired by the simple adobe structures built by ancient tribes, comfortable, eco-friendly pueblo style homes are especially practical in dry climates. Traditional pueblo architecture dates back to the dawn of history; Pueblo Revival houses became popular in the early 1900s and are still a favored style in the southwestern regions of the United States.
Cape Cod House Style1600s - 1950s. The Cape Cod house style originated in New England in the late 17th century. Today, the term refers to one-and-a-half story homes popular in the United States during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
Georgian Colonial House Style
1690s - 1830. This symmetrical, orderly style became prominent in Colonial America.
Log Cabins1700s - present. Today's log homes are often spacious and elegant, but in colonial America, log cabins reflected the hardships of life on the North American frontier.
French Creole House Styles1700s - 1800s. Spanish, African, Native American, and other heritages combine to create the Creole houses in America's French colonies.
Federal / Adam House Styles1780 - 1840. Graceful details distinguish these homes from the pragmatic Georgian colonial style.
19th Century & Victorian House Styles
Greek Revival House Style 1825-1860. Democratic ideals are reflected in the classical details of Greek Revival homes.
Tidewater House Style1800s. Built in coastal areas of the American South, these homes were designed for wet, hot climates.
Antebellum Architecture 1830-1862. Antebellum is not a style so much as an era. These grand plantation homes reflect the wealth and power of plantation owners in the American South prior to the Civil War.
Victorian Gothic House Styles 1840-1880. These buildings feature arches, pointed windows and other details borrowed from medieval Gothic cathedrals. Included are facts and photos for Gothic Revival, Carpenter Gothic and High Victorian Gothic architecture.
Victorian Italianate House Styles1840-1885. Old World ideals transplanted to the United States.
Second Empire House Styles1855-1885. With their high mansard roofs, these houses evoked European majesty.
Victorian Stick House Styles 1860-1890. Trusses and stickwork suggest medieval building techniques.
Eastlake Victorian Styles1860 - 1880s. These fanciful Victorian houses are lavished with Eastlake style spindlework.
Folk Victorian House Styles 1870-1910. Just plain folk could afford these no-fuss homes, using trimwork made possible by mass production.
Shingle Style1874-1910. Home designers rejected fussy Queen Anne ornamentation in homes that evoked rustic coastal living.
Richardsonian Romanesque House Styles 1880-1900. Romantic, castle-like buildings, often constructed of stone, inspired by designer Henry Hobson Richardson.
Victorian Queen Anne House Styles 1880-1910. Towers, turrets, wrap around porches and other fanciful details.
Gilded Age & Early 20th Century House Styles
Beaux Arts House Styles1885- 1925. Swags, medallions, flowers, balustrades, balconies, grand stairways and other lavish features characterize this style, reserved for grandiose public buildings and homes for the very rich.
Colonial Revival House Styles1880-1955. These symmetrical houses combine elements of Federal and Georgian architecture.
Mission & California Mission House Styles1890-1920. Stucco walls, arches and other details inspired by the Spanish mission churches of colonial America.
Tudor Revival House Styles1890-1940. Decorative half-timbering and other details suggest medieval building techniques.
Cotswold Cottage and English Country Styles1890-1940. This subtype of the Tudor Revival style may remind you of a picturesque storybook cottage.
Renaissance Revival House Styles1890 -1935. A fascination for the architecture of Renaissance Europe inspired these elegant homes and villas.
American Foursquare House Styles1895-1930. This practical, economical style became one of the most popular in the United States.
Prairie School House Styles1900-1920. The low, linear style pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Craftsman Bungalow House Styles 1905-1930. From the Arts & Crafts movement, an American style popularized through mail order catalogs.
Usonian Houses 1936-1960. When the United States was in an economic depression, Frank Lloyd Wright developed a simplified version of his Prairie School architecture. Designed to control costs, these homes had no attics, no basements, and little ornamentation.
Spanish Revival House Styles1915-1940. The opening of the Panama canal inspired a variety of Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean styles.
French-Inspired House Styles1915-1945. French ideas are reflected in Normandy, Provincial, and a variety of other styles.
Art Moderne House Styles1930-1945. With smooth, white walls and a sleek streamlined appearance, these cube-shaped homes expressed the spirit of the machine age.
Late 20th Century through Today
Ranch Style Homes1935 - Present. The rambling, no-nonsense Ranch styles became dominant in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. If you live in the suburbs, there's a good chance your home is a Western Ranch, American Ranch, or California Rambler.
Raised Ranch (Split Level) House Styles1935 - Present. A traditional Ranch Style house is only one story, but a split level, "Raised Ranch" house has room to grow. A finished basement with large windows creates extra living space below, while a raised roof leaves room for bedrooms above.
A-Frame Homes1957-Present. With a dramatic, sloping roof and cozy living quarters, an A-frame style house is ideal for wintery regions with lots of snow.
Postmodern Homes1965 - Present. Rebelling against minimalist modernist architecture, Postmodern houses tend to give the impression that anything goes - the impossible is not only possible, but exaggerated.
Neoeclectic Homes1965 - Present. Decorative details borrowed from the past and selected from a construction catalog create a mixture that can be difficult to define.
Dome Homes Late 20th century. Monolithic domes and the innovative geodesic dome technology pioneered by Buckminister Fuller.
Earth HomesFrom prehistoric times to the present. Cob, straw bale, earth bermed and underground homes are inexpensive, energy efficient and surprisingly comfortable.
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