Trend in Architecture in the Past - Research Paper Example

Trend in Architecture in the Past Introduction: From ancient time architecture is being considered as the example of how developed and how advancedthe technology is. Among ancient civilization of the world Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia were famous for their distinct architectural science and development. In this paper the main focus is on a detail discussion about four distinct structure of the ancient time, these are Arch, Dome, vault and Roof. In this paper the main discussion is about the structure and method of development of the above four construction in Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Architecture in Egypt Egypt is well known for its diverse architectural style. Some of the key structures of ancient Egypt were arch, vault, roof etc. All these three structures were closely related to one another as there are number of great architectural work in Egypt based on the above three elements. A vault is associated with the architecture of an arch. The structure of vault is very simple. There is a pair of arch in both ends of the structure. Between both the arches, there is a long arched tunnel which is generally made up of concrete. To overcome this issue people in Greece, Egypt used to build vault in. In order to provide support to one part or the finished part people used to take help of the process of centering, the support was at place until the other sections were finished. In order to ensure strong support to the finished side people also took help of Buttresses which were known for providing all the heavy concrete vaults some extra support. “Architects would lay layers of light tiles directly on the centering. When the tiles were finished, it gave the centering extra support until they laid the final layer of concrete. When all of the concrete was dry and the tiles were laid, the Roman architects would pour concrete onto the vaults until they reached the desired thickness.” (Hamlin 25). Image 1: Architecture of Egypt. A Whirlwind Tour of Western Architecture As par the history of the architectures, the Egyptians were the first to use vault in a wide spread manner. It has to be noted that while constructing a vault the Egyptian did not use a groined and there structure of vault was more dominated by the idea of arch. During the ancient time the building material was mud bricks. It has to be noted that developing corbelled vaults was unreasonable, were true arches erected. In Egypt there are some examples of barrel vault. In Djosers great mastaba a structure of exact barrel vault was found which was built with bricks stuck together and attached from above with gravel and mortar. Generally the arches were used to ensure support to the top roof of any construction in ancient Egypt. Generally the bricks used for the development of arch were thinner, lighter and in most cases wedge shaped. (An introduction to the history and culture of Pharaonic Egypt) Image 2: Architecture in Egypt: Structure of Arch and Roof in the ancient time. Architecture in Greece: In Greece, the architecture of building was also very important one to understand the changing trend associated with the architecture. Generally both arch and roof were associated with the structure of building in the country. Generally the structure of the building in Greece was more or less rectangular with four separate columns in all four sides. Roofs of almost all the constructions “were laid with timber beams covered by terracotta tiles, and were not domed. Pediments (the flattened triangular shape at each gable end of the building) were usually filled with sculptural decoration or friezes, as was the row of lintels along the top of each side wall, between the roof and the tops of the columns.” (Greek Architecture) From an overall analysis it is very clear that in Greece engineers were aware about both arch and vault as style of construction but the use of the same was very less during that phase. Instead of using arch and vault to support the construction in Greece the engineers were more reluctant to use post and Intel technique which consisted of vertical uprights and supported by horizontal beams.one must consider this as the significant difference between the style of architecture in Greece with the same in Mesopotamia, Egypt and other nations in the ancient part. In terms of construction of roof in Greece, in most of the architect the roof was flat in construction supported by columns or hypostyle. But later on as the walls were started to develop from stone and was able to support heavier load, the structure of roof in various temples was changed to comparatively sloping one. Among all the above three countries in Greece only there was a significant different in terms of construction of various architecture. The use of arch and vault was very lass in Greece in comparison to that of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The infrastructure in Greece was more or less slightly advanced in comparison to other two civilizations so the different in terms of various architects was very much clear. Image 3: Architecture of Vault& Arch in Greece; The Arch in Architecture and History (2013) Image 4: Architecture of Vault in Greece; The Arch in Architecture and History (2013) Image 5: Architecture of Roof in Greece; Architecture in Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia was also well known for its architectural work in the ancient time. Like Egypt in Mesopotamia also there were extensive use of arch, vault and dome. One key factor associated with the architectures in Mesopotamia was the roof. In Mesopotamia, “Building vaults enabled roofing a large area without the need for interim supports to alleviate the weight of the ceiling, because the walls have provided support from the sides. Massive vaults and arches were built in palaces, probably in coronation rooms, to judge by the thick enough walls to support the vaults. The Greek geographer Strabo (63 BCE - 23 CE) wrote that all the houses in Babylon had vaults. To support those heavy vaults it took particularly thick walls.” (Berliner, 2010) Arches and vault ware also encourage developing new style. There were 2 types of arches were developed in Mesopotamia; - one was corbel arch and the other one was standard arch. (Berliner, 2010) Image 6: Architecture of Mesopotamia; Image 7: history of architecture and sculpture Conclusion: From the above analysis it is very clear that architecture was a significant proof of ancient time about the involvement of people and also their thought process. Architecture of various temple and other things like Pyramid and other historian structures were the true representation of the style, pattern, and also trend of the ancient time. It is very clear that in Mesopotamia and Egypt the structure of various architecture was basically same as both the civilization were more rely on using arch and vault to support various structure. But as the times moves on various nations start as Greece etc. started to change and the use of arch and vault were lesser. These were the changes which gradually started to dominate the trend in the architecture. References Architectural Elements (2000). An introduction to the history and culture of Pharaonic Egypt, retrieved on June 3, 2014 from:http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/building/elements.htm Berliner; H (2010). History of Architecture: Mesopotamian Architecture. Retrieved on June 3, 2014 from: http://historyofrchitecture.blogspot.in/2010/12/mesopotamian-architecture.html Hamlin, T (1953). Architecture through the Ages. New York: Putnam. History of Architecture (c. 900-27BCE), Greek Architecture.Retrieved on June 3, 2014 from:http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/architecture-history.htm Image Source: Image 1:http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/a-whirlwind-tour-of-western-architecture-ancient-egypt-to-lateeighteenth-century-europe-and-the-usa/deck/6124812 Image 2:http://people.csail.mit.edu/hanna/Egypt/index20.html Image 3 & 4: http://traveltoeat.com/the-arch-in-architecture-and-history/ Image 5: http://schoolworkhelper.net/greek-history-the-golden-age-of-greece/ Image 6: http://sljglobal.wikispaces.com/rolandodeborah Image 7: http://www.all-art.org/Architecture/6.htm Read More