ARTS 1301 – Art Appreciation – Instructor Jacobi
CHAPTER 15 – ARCHITECTURE
Each example of architecture depends on two different factors and their interrelation: topography and technology.
 Topography is the distinct landscape characteristics of the local site. For example, a building designed to work
well in the winters of Alaska must take a very different topography into account than a building designed for the
South American Amazon.
 Technology refers to the materials and methods available to a given culture. We have an expansive list of
choices for technology today, but this was not always the case. Different types of structures become possible
with different technologies.
The basic technological challenge faced by architecture is to build upright walls and put a roof over the empty space
they enclose. Walls may use one of two basic structural systems: the shell system or the skeleton-and-skin system.
 The shell system is when one basic building material provides both the structural support and the outside
covering of the building.
 The skeleton-and-skin system consists of basic interior frame (the skeleton) that supports the more fragile outer
covering (the skin).
The span between the elements of the supporting structure (walls or columns, for example) is determined by the
tensile strength of the roof material.
 Tensile strength is the ability of a building material to span horizontal distances without support and without
buckling in the middle. The greater the tensile strength of the material, the wider its potential span.
 Almost all technological advances in the history of architecture depend on either the invention of new ways to
distribute weight or the discovery of new materials with greater tensile strength.
Different technologies, as they developed…
 Load-bearing: In architecture, this is a construction method where the walls bear the weight of the roof. This is
achieved by piling or stacking any material (for example: stones, bricks, mud, and straw) right up to the roof
level. Taller buildings that use this method (such as the ancient Egyptian pyramids) would require incredibly
thick walls at the bottom of the structure, in order to support the weight of the building.
 Post-and-lintel construction: In architecture, this is a system of building in which two posts support a
crosspiece, or a lintel, that spans the distance between them.
o Post-and-lintel construction is fundamental to all Greek architecture.
o The posts are known as columns, and the rows of columns set at regular intervals around their buildings
are known as colonnades.
 Arches, vaults, and domes: These types of construction use similar materials to post-and-lintel, but they redistribute the weight of the materials in order to increase the interior span of their buildings.
o Round arch: A round arch is a curved, often semicircular architectural form that spans an opening or
space built of wedge-shaped blocks, with a keystone centered at the top. This was perfected by the
Romans. A series of continuous arches is called an arcade.
o Barrel vault: A barrel vault is a masonry (stone) roof constructed on the principle of the arch. It is
essentially a long series of arches stacked against one another, like a tunnel.
o Dome: This is a roof that is generally in the shape of a hemisphere, or half-globe. The Romans perfected
the use of the dome.
o Pointed arch: An arch that is not semicircular, but rather it rises more steeply to a point at its top. The
height of a rounded arch is determined by its width, but the height of a pointed arch can readily be
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extended by straightening the curves upwards into a point, with the weight of the ceiling descending
much more directly down the wall.
o Flying buttress: The supports that counteract the outward force of interior arches. Flying buttresses are
unique, because they stand away from the exterior wall, appearing light and delicate.
Cast iron: A rigid, strong construction material made by adding carbon to iron. This material was only
discovered in the 1800s, and it absolutely transformed the way architecture was built.
Wood frame construction: A true skeleton-and-skin building method, commonly used in domestic architecture.
o Truss: In architecture, a triangular framework that because of its rigidity, can span much wider areas
than a single wooden beam.
Reinforced concrete: Concrete in which steel reinforcement bars, or rebars, are placed to both strengthen and
make concrete less brittle. This, combined with steel beams, led to the creation of the modern skyscraper.
The sheer strength of steel makes the modern skyscraper a reality. Walls no longer have to be incredibly thick at
the base in order to support the building.
(For example, without the use of reinforced concrete and steel, the walls at the bottom of a 16-story building
would need to be six feet thick!)