Wow! I didn’t know that blogging on this subject would take so much research. It was a bit naïve of me thinking it would be any other way. It almost took a full month and after opening one can of worms after the other I am happier than ever that I’ve embarked on this journey that has turned out to be quite the educational adventure. As a result, my opening blog will be a bit chunkier than the ones to follow.
So, I would like my 1st blog to serve as an introduction to Architecture. Where and when it originated and how it’s evolved and into what it has evolved. I won’t and really can’t go into too much depth, well for the simple reason that I am not qualified to, in both the historical and technical areas of the art.
Introduction and Definition
It is believed that before recorded time humans constructed stone circles, megaliths and other structures. Some people may also argue that putting any kind of materials together to serve as shelter, living space, etc. should be regarded as architecture. Of course a lot of architects would strongly oppose this stance since it would reduce the value and level of the skill, creativity, planning and technical aspects that goes into the art form.
That brings us to the definition of architecture. And since there are quite a few, I have put a definition down that is broader and includes most of the components that makes up the art of Architecture.
Architecture could be said to be the art and science of creating define space or spaces out of the larger space itself, to meet certain needs of man such as comfort, leisure, religion, health and even a memorial, and each architecture is a reflection of particular age, time, space because not all architecture can transend time nor function in other spaces, which makes architecture more dynamic art and science, and a most wonderful resource for historical reference – Thanks to Ofoni Joseph
With the help of online encyclopedias and other references, I have compiled a list of different architectural styles and dates it is believed to have started. Because of the fluidity of Architecture or any other design style the start and end dates is only estimated. Here's my offering!
Ancient Egypt
3,050 BC to 900 BC In ancient Egypt, powerful rulers constructed monumental pyramids, temples, and shrines.
Classical
850 BC to 476 AD From the rise of ancient Greece until the fall of the Roman empire, great buildings were constructed according to precise rules.
Early Christian and Medieval
373 to 500 AD. European architecture moved from the rectangular basilica forms to the classically inspired Byzantine style.
Romanesque
500 to 1200 AD As Rome spread across Europe, heavier, stocky Romanesque architecture with rounded arches emerged.
Gothic Architecture
1100 to 1450 AD Innovative builders created the great cathedrals of Europe.
Renaissance Architecture
1400 to 1600 AD A return to classical ideas ushered an "age of "awakening" in Italy, France, and England.
Baroque Architecture
1600 to 1830 AD In Italy, the Baroque style is reflected in opulent and dramatic churches with irregular shapes and extravagant ornamentation. In France, the highly ornamented Baroque style combines with Classical restraint. Russian aristorcrats were impressed by Versailles in France, and incorporated Baroque ideas in the building of St. Petersburg. Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are found throughout Europe.
Rococo Architecture
1650 to 1790 AD During the last phase of the Baroque period, builders constructed graceful white buildings with sweeping curves.
American Colonial Architecture
1600 to 1780 AD European settlers in the New World borrowed ideas from their homelands to create their own breed of architecture.
Georgian Architecture
1720 to 1800 AD Georgian was a stately, symmetrical style that dominated in Great Britain and Ireland and influenced building styles in the American colonies.
Neoclassical / Federalist / Idealist
1730 to 1925 AD A renewed interest in ideas of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio inspired a return of classical shapes in Europe, Great Britain and the United States.
Greek Revival Architecture
1790 to 1850 AD These classical buildings and homes often feature columns, pediments and other details inspired by Greek forms. Antebellum homes in the American south were often built in the Greek Revival style.
Victorian Architecture
1840 to 1900 AD Industrialization brought many innovations in architecture. Victorian styles include Gothic Revival, Italianate, Stick, Eastlake, Queen Anne, Romanesque and Second Empire.
Arts and Crafts Movement in Architecture
1860 to 1900 AD Arts and Crafts was a late 19th-century backlash against the forces of industrialization. The Arts and Crafts movement revived an interest in handicrafts and sought a spiritual connection with the surrounding environment, both natural and manmade. The Craftsman Bungalow evolved from the Arts and Crafts movement.
Art Nouveau Architecture
1890 to 1914 AD Known as the New Style, Art Nouveau was first expressed in fabrics and graphic design. The style spread to architecture and furniture in the 1890s. Art Nouveau buildings often have asymmetrical shapes, arches and decorative surfaces with curved, plant-like designs.
Beaux Arts Architecture
1895 to 1925 AD Also known as Beaux Arts Classicism, Academic Classicism, or Classical Revival, Beaux Arts architecture is characterized by order, symmetry, formal design, grandiosity, and elaborate ornamentation.
Neo-Gothic Architecture
1905 to 1930 AD In the early twentieth century, medieval Gothic ideas were applied to modern skyscrapers.
Art Deco Architecture
1925 to 1937 AD Zigzag patterns and vertical lines create dramatic effect on jazz-age, Art Deco buildings.
20th Century Trends in Architecture
1900 to Present. The century has seen dramatic changes and astonishing diversity. Twentieth century trends include Art Moderne and the Bauhaus school coined by Walter Gropius, Deconstructivism, Formalism, Modernism, Structuralism, and Postmodernism.
