KHALIFA, ABDULLAHI-MOHAMMED ABDULSAMAD ARCHITECTURE THROUGH TIME The Prof. Bayo Amole Architecture Essay Prize Dec 2023
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Architecture through Time 1.0.
Introduction
"The design, position, and inter-relationship of the monuments and sites," according to UNESCO, "are evidence of a wealthy and highly organized prehistoric society able to impose its concepts on the environment."1 What most believe to be the essence of architecture lies in its power to reshape the environment, leading to prehistoric structures often regarded as the roots of architecture. Therefore, whether it began with ancient rock shelters2 or the earliest mud huts3, the metamorphosis of architecture –as a scientific art of expression- transcends the confines of mere constructions, serving as evidence of human resourcefulness and adaptability; it embodies a constant interconnectedness between innovation and cultural expression. Spanning intriguing wonders of past, ancient civilizations, to the refined allure of modern, contemporary buildings and structures, the evolution of architectural form and function paints a compelling picture, one that displays technical accomplishments, and the mosaic of cultural, social and artistic vices that influenced the designs behind those peculiar structures, but how?
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Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, United Nations, <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/373> accessed 5 December 2023 at 08:14 PM. 2 the likes of Göbekli Tepe 3 like the mud-brick houses in Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic city in Anatolia, now Turkiye (formerly Turkey).
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This write-up aims to explore various significant epochs in architecture, the enduring influences imparted on and by their respective societies, as well as the display of innovative expression that echoes through the stones, bricks, and steel that shape our world.
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Ancient Architecture
The dawn of architecture emerged in structures that predate recorded history, with structures like stone circles, earthen mounds, megaliths that puzzle archaeologists of today, who unearth prehistorical architecture4 like Göbekli Tepe5, Stonehenge, Silbury Hill6 and cliff dwellings of the Americas. Overtime, prehistoric builders shaped earth and stone in geometric patterns creating early man-made formations. Our guess is that they imitated the sun and moon, creating earth mounds and monolithic henges in similar circular shapes. These primitive structures raise the question of what architecture is, and how it influenced our aesthetic preferences.
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11600 BCE-3500 BCE uncovered in Turkiye (formerly Turkey) 6 ‘History and Research: Silbury Hill’, English Heritage Foundation, <http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/silbury-hill/history-and-research/> accessed 06 December 2023 at 04:37 PM 5
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Far from primitive however, monumental pyramids and temples like the Pyramids of Giza stood as engineering feats, reaching great heights. The Step Pyramid of Djoser7 designed by innovative Egyptian Imhotep, exemplifies early massive stone monuments. Built with sun-baked mud bricks or blocks, Egyptian temples featured carefully cut granite and limestone, adorned with hieroglyphics, carvings and vibrant frescoes.8 Inspired by the environment, columns that were juxtaposed to provide support, mimicked palms, papyrus plants amongst other plant forms, and evolved overtime, influencing Western Architecture as Roman Empire occupied these lands. The discovery of King Tut’s tomb9 in the early 1900s sparked interest in Egyptian artifacts, contributing to the rise of Art Deco architecture. In Europe, from the rise of ancient Greece to the fall of the Roman Empire, construction was guided by precise, mathematical principles. "For without symmetry and proportion no temple can have a regular plan,"10 Vitruvius once wrote. He introduced the Classical orders –Doric, Ionic and Corinthian-, which appropriately defined styles of columns and designs of entablatures used in Classical architecture.11 Doric columns adorned Greek temples like the Parthenon in Athens, while Ionic columns were found in simpler, smaller structures. The Hellenistic period witnessed the construction of secular buildings with Ionic and Corinthian columns. Romans introduced Corinthian and composite
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2677 BCE-2648 BCE pictures made by painting on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling 9 Tutankhamun, 1341 BC-1323 BC, pharaoh of ancient Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty 10 Marcus Vivitrus, ‘De Architectura’ or ‘Ten Books on Architecture’; first century BCE 11 850 BCE-CE 476 8
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style columns, with decorative brackets in ornate buildings. The invention of cement brought forth arches, vaults and domes, showcased in the Roman Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome.
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Medieval and Renaissance
Roman architecture had now evolved into a graceful, classic style that incorporates brick in place of stone, elaborate mosaics, domed roofs and common classical forms. Eastern and Western traditions merged in the sacred buildings of the Byzantine period12, around the same time the capital of the Roman Empire was moved to Byzantium.13 Buildings designed with a central dome by utilizing engineering methods refined by the Middle East, eventually rose to unprecedented heights; a transitional and transformational approach. Rome and Romanesque architecture14 continued to spread across Europe, introducing rounded arches, thick walls and heavy piers in Medieval churches and castles.
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527 AD-565 AD moved by Constantine, but the architecture was led by Emperor Justinian (527-565) 14 800 AD-1200 AD 13
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The Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse, France15, exemplifies transitional architecture, incorporating a Byzantine-domed apse16 and a Gothic-like steeple17. Early 12th century saw Gothic architecture18 supporting higher, more graceful structures, by introducing innovations like pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting. Gothic cathedrals replaced support walls with stained glass, gargoyles and sculpture that were practical and decorative19 in places like Chartres Cathedral and Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Builders at the time, adopted Gothic architecture from early Romanesque, originating from France as the French Style. While these Gothic cathedrals stood all over Europe, Italian sculptors and painters abandoned medieval styles for the Renaissance20, later becoming Early Renaissance21. Gothic Revival in the 19th and 20th centuries witnessed architects in Europe and the United States designing prominent buildings by imitating Gothic elements in medieval Europe’s cathedrals. Proporitons and symmetry inspired by the proportional dimensions from ancient Greece and Rome, guided the Renaissance era -with the symmetrical villa, Villa Rotonda near Venice, Italy,- which would go on to inspire Western architects long after the era had ended.
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built between 1070 AD and 1120 AD a large semicircular or polygonal recess in a church, arched or with a domed roof and typically at the church's eastern end. 17 a pointed structure on the top of a church tower, or the tower and the pointed structure considered as one unit 18 1100-1450 19 e.g. gargoyles also serving as fountains 20 1400-1600 21 or the Proto-Renaissance of art history, 1200-1400 16
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In contrast, Baroque22 era introduced complex shapes and extravagance. Baroque styles was influenced by Classical characteristics in France and extravagant ornamentation in Italian churches. The Palace of Versailles inspired Baroque ideas used in St. Petersburg. If a building was white with sweeping curves in late 14th century, it followed Rococo23 art and architecture. Elegant, decorative designs with delicate geometric patterns made Rococo a lighter, more tender approach to Baroque ideas. Marking the final phase of the Baroque Period, Rococo gave birth to descendant designs of the Renaissance later adopted by the United States.
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Industrial Revolution and Modern Architecture
During a period often referred to as the Enlightenment24 in Europe, opulence was rejected, leading to the obsolescence of Baroque and Rococo styles. So, Classical ideals that were emblematic of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations became favourable. The Neoclassical25 approach was proportioned according to classical orders from ancient Greece and Rome. Newly-formed United States used this style in designing her grand government buildings. The revolt against industrialization brought about the use of fabrics and graphic design, turning people to natural forms for inspiration. Art Noveau,26 a style with asymmetrical shapes, arches, and curved plant-like designs, emerged. Meanwhile, the style used by luxurious mansions and
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1600-1830 1650-1790 24 17th and 18th century 25 1730-1925 26 1890-1914, also known as New Style 23
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grand public buildings known as Beaux Arts27, was characterized by order, symmetry, and a sense of grandeur and grandiosity. Adding arched vertical lines, with pointed decorative windows and gargoyles to a skyscraper made it Neo-Gothic.28 During this period, buildings with cubic-form ziggurats, zigzag designs, bands of colours were categorized under Art Deco29, or at least the earlier forms of it.30 Art Moderne and Baubaus school influenced the 20th and 21st century Modernist styles31, which is more than just a style this time; presenting itself as a new way of thinking by prioritizing function over form(s) that imitate nature. Postmodernism32 refined familiar motifs and historical details against Modernism. Familiar shapes and details are utilized in perplexing ways, even incorporating symbols to startle the observer. Skyscrapers actually embraced a sleek façade with a classical touch. After numerous inspirations and influences, we arrive at the architecture of the modern world — Neo-Modernism33. It employs free-form design that date back to prehistoric times. Moshe Safdie’s 2011 Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore serves as evidence for the enduring influence of ancient architecture.
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1895-1925, also referred to Beaux Arts Classicism, Academic Classicism, or Classical Revival 1905-1930 29 1925-1937 30 late 1930s, Art Deco became Streamlined Moderne, or Art Moderne, with no zigzags or colourful designs 31 190032 197233 199728
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•Stonehenge
5.0.
•Marina Sands Bay Resort
Conclusion
Architectural evolution narrates a tale of human innovation and cultural expression. From prehistoric Stonehenge to the sleek Marina Bay Sands Resort, each era etches a narrative, reflecting the ceaseless journey of man, binding us to a collective past—architecture through time.
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