The Importance and Influence of Architecture in the World of Humanities

Architecture has proven to be an important part of society and culture in both art history, and human history. Art is created to reflect the values of the society that creates it, and architecture is no different. Each piece of architecture can be identified by certain characteristics that makes it a part of a specific culture. Both the Great Stupa at Sanchi, located in central India, and the Parthenon, located in Greece, are examples of architecture that share similar characteristics, however can be specified to their location and time period because of their differences. The Great Stupa at Sanchi and the Parthenon, although created for different purposes, proved to be important because of its functionality to society.

The Dome of the Rock (688-92) is a building project which demonstrates a particular way of achieving uniqueness in architecture. Architectural uniqueness can be established by introducing the same building form and materials in a slightly different way, complimenting its surrounding. Again, this uniqueness can be achieved by having a completely different building vocabulary, contrasting with its surroundings. In this context, this essay will investigate what type of architectural uniqueness the Dome of the Rock possess and how this uniqueness has been achieved through various architectural elements.

“The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built” (Frank Lloyd Wright). Throughout the centuries, architecture has fascinated everyone. History is inscribed in buildings and they can express the political and economic power of a nation. Although time has gone by, buildings have not. You can still idolize ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture and see how the events that occurred at that time influenced them.

An architecture scavenger hunt is an exercise where a person – the hunter – would go out and scout several different buildings primarily for the different and iconic architectural designs. The success of the scavenger hunt depends on the number of buildings a person is able to identify and the variations in the design of the identified buildings. It would not be essential to go round recording similar designs. The most iconic designs today are the Romanesque designs because of the History of the Ancient Romans and how they influenced modern civilization. In addition, many Romanesque designs are showed on Television. In this particular scavenger hunt,

Around the world, there are different kinds of buildings and constructions that represent a country or city. Evidently, buildings are different from one to another in location, aging time, and materials of construction. Nevertheless, many buildings share some similarities. Many people know that The Empire State Building and The Eiffel Tower are in different continents and that at first glance they have nothing in common. Otherwise, they share some similarities like being the tallest buildings in the city that each is located, the number of observatories, and

With the development of modern technology, cameras have now become an optical instrument for recording or capturing images, which can be stored locally, transmitted to other locations or even both. Since that, photography starts to appear as a common activity for people to play with and it is also one of the most outstanding factors to affect different countries with architectural style. The first thing that photo affect us is the cultural identity and personal characteristics, people nowadays are gradually losing their personal identity along with the development of photography. Secondly, through the spread of pictures around the world, it would be entirely possible for a certain architecture style to appear simultaneously in two

For my second paper, I choose Trinity Church in Boston. I must admit that I didn’t like this building at first mainly because of its numerous decoration particularly at the lower part if the structure, but for some reason I had to come back and look at this building again and again. And slowly I felt in love with the different components the architect used to create this stimulating piece of art.

As writer, interior designer, educator, and American architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization” (BrainyQuote). The purpose of this paper will deal with the description of...

There is then an octagon of 2 ambulatories on 8 piers and 16 columns that holds the cylinder tightly, as if in a ring. There are four doors, each of them corresponding to the main axes of the Haram al Sharif. An extensive decoration of carved stone, mosaics, painted wood, multi-colored tiles, marble, and carpets covers most of the building, inside and outside. These decorations reflect many different time periods due to the continual need for repair with varying degrees of success , resulting in the accumulation of damage over time. Furthermore, contemporary changes in taste influenced how the building was maintained. The Dome of the Rock’s extraordinary visual impact is a direct result of the mathematical rhythm of its proportions. All of

I have chosen this topic because it links closely with the project that I am currently doing called ways of seeing, where I am photographing modern architecture and objects in different ways in order to produce

Today technology allows us to construct structures that we would never have been able to make in the past. Some of the creations are impressive based on what they accomplish but others are masterpieces in themselves. Man’s capability to build such tall buildings, as the skyscrapers we are familiar with covering our cities today, is a major expression of the advancements we have made as a culture. The power necessary to build such tall structures inspired competition between architects to see who could build the tallest one. One skyscraper that has inspired many and served as a model, for high rise buildings that were created after, is the Chrysler Building. The Chrysler Building serves as an identifying mark to anyone that

The Laurentian Library was commissioned and constructed by Michelangelo beginning in the early 1520’s in Florence, Italy. The library was a turning point for architecture in how buildings were artistically conceptualized. The library was built to house the 4,500 printed books and the the 11,000 family manuscripts of the Medici family. It was made for the Pope at the time, Pope Clement VII, who was a Medici. The library was meant to display the Medici family’s intelligence and to celebrate knowledge. The library was built on top of an existing convent at the Church of San Lorenzo. It was made up of two connecting parts, the vestibule with a staircase and a long reading room. The design of the library, especially the vestibule, is one of his most exceptional architectural achievements. Michelangelo had a vision to build a skylight in the vestibule, but this idea was shut down, and clerestory windows where built into the west wall instead. The windows are framed with pietra serena. Columns rest inside the walls, which appear to be supported on consoles. The texture between these columns is like a taut skin stretched out between them. The dramatic vestibule is a square area that is 48 feet high with a stone staircase that takes up most of the room. It is shocking that the vestibule is almost half as tall as it is wide. The stairs were constructed in such a complex way, and rarely has architecture ever portrayed such style that brings dynamic movement and drama. It is said the

Different architects have different styles because they are trying to get at different things. Architecture is not just about making something beautiful anymore, it is about trying to get across a set of ideas about how we inhabit space. Two of the most famous architects of the twentieth century, one from each side, the early part and the later part up until today each designed a museum with money donated by the Guggenheim foundation. One of these is in New York City, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The other is in bilbao, Spain, and it was designed by Frank Geary. My purpose of this paper is to interrogate each of these buildings, glorious for different reasons, to show how each architect was expressing their own style.

Paris today is known as a center of arts and rich culture both acclaimed and original. Famous moments pop up through the history of France’s art, such as the impressionistic artworks by Monet, the École des Beaux-Arts teachings of classicism, and the iconic Eiffel Tower by Stephen Sauvestre. Paris augments itself with numerous museums to catalog countless masterpieces and sculptures throughout France’s enduring, yet sometimes gritty, history. As a whole, Paris comprises of a mixture between historic architectural themes like rusticated brick clad, mansard roofs, striated columns, and a modern day architectural themes like engineered metalwork, and external program support machinery. The notion of classic French architecture, juxtaposed

Architecture can be viewed with two different types of properties. Properties that can be seen like shapes, their composition, the spaces they create and, the colours and textures that make up their appearance. These properties are considered to be visual while other properties are considered to be abstract. These properties can only be described using words; the meanings behind the architecture and the stories that can be told about it. The context, its cultural background and its function also affects how we view architecture. The question is, what